Soccer: Cautious welcome for transfer changes

Fifa vice-president David Will has given a cautious welcome to new plans to reshape the international transfer system.

Fifa, Uefa and the European Commission last night reached agreement on the transfer system.

But Will, the UK's representative in world football's governing body, said there was still a lot of work to do before the new system could be introduced.

The main elements of the agreement - which will operate initially only on transfers across national boundaries - include the creation of one transfer period per season and a further mid-season window, with compensation payments replacing transfer fees for players under the age of 23.

Minimum and maximum duration of contracts will be set at one and five years respectively, and any player breaking a contract within the first two years of a three-year 'protected' period could be barred from playing for his new club for four months in the next season.

Will, a former chairman of Brechin City, said: "Obviously, I'm delighted that there seems to have been some excellent progress last night.

"So this ruling is purely for international transfers and it is then up to each international association to consider whether they will want to take it up internally."

"But I will have to wait until I see the fine detail before I can comment further."

Scottish Football League secretary Peter Donald was hopeful that lower division clubs in Scotland would be able to retain valuable transfer revenues.

"My understanding is that the proposal being discussed is relative to transfers across international boundaries.

"So if that is the case, it wouldn't have a huge impact on Football League clubs who rarely transfer directly outside Scotland.

"But it is difficult to say with any certainty at this stage.

"However, I don't know that we would welcome certain aspects of the proposals, such as transfer windows."

The new rules governing cross-border transfers could be in place for next season once FIFA's executive approves the changes at a meeting in Buenos Aires on July 5.

The EC had insisted upon changes to the transfer system, after claims the current system, where clubs demand a fee for in-contract players, broke EU employment rules.