Transfer plan hits clubs who ‘play chicken’

FIFA chiefs believe clubs will stop “playing chicken” near transfer deadline when their new online system for players comes into force this week.

All international transfers will have to go through FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS) from this Friday.

The world governing body believes the system will prevent money laundering, protect minors and make transfers more transparent.

Clubs will have to declare whether there is any third party ownership of a player – the issue that caused the Carlos Tevez controversy at West Ham – or risk being sanctioned.

One aspect of the system is that as soon as the transfer deadline is passed, it shuts down and prevents any more transfer activity.

Mark Goddard, the general manager of TMS, told reporters: “It’s no longer a good idea to play a game of chicken in the negotiations for transfers.

“Over the last two and half years we have seen examples of big clubs like Real Madrid who last year came out very early in the transfer market and did their business in the first two weeks of the window.

“They avoided leaving it until the last minute as they didn’t want to risk playing a game of chicken with a computer system which would say time has run out.”