Transfer window
In association football, the condon window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer window" is the unofficial term commonly used for the concept of "registration period" as described in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Player.[1] According to the rules, each national football association decides on the registration periods used in that association. FIFA mandates two registration periods. The first registration periods starts at the end of the season and may not exceed 12 weeks. The second registration period occurs during the season and may not exceed 4 weeks.
The transfer window of a given football association governs only international transfers into that football association. International transfers out of an association are always possible to those associations that have an open window. The transfer window of the association that the player is leaving does not have to be open.
The window was introduced in response to negotiations with the European Commission. The system has been used in many European leagues before being brought into compulsory effect by FIFA during the 2002-03 season.[2] However, the exact regulations and possible exceptions are established by each competition's governing body rather than by the national football association.[3]
Current schedules and exceptions
FIFA regulates in general that there shall be two windows, a longer one (max. twelve weeks) in the break between two seasons and shorter one (max. one month) in the middle of a season. The specific periods depend on the league's season cycle and are determined by the national football authorities.[4]
When a league commences in the second half of the year (e.g. August or September) and stretches over two calendar years (autumn-spring season in the Northern Hemisphere), the first window is usually open from 1 July until midnight of 31 August and the second one from 1 January until midnight on 31 January the same year. Most major European leagues have adopted this scheme.
The periods differ when a league runs throughout a single calendar year, as in most Nordic countries due to weather constraints, or as the traditional season in the Southern Hemisphere. The first window generally opens from 1 March until midnight of 30 April, followed by the in-season window from 1 August to 31 August.
| Pre-season window | Mid-season window | Associations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January - 31 March | 1 August - 31 August | Sweden,[5] Norway[6] |
| 8 January - 2 April | 16 July - 13 August | Japan[7] |
| 15 January - 15 April | 15 July - 14 August | USA/Canada[8] |
| 1 March - 30 April | 1 August - 31 August | Finland[9] |
| 1 July - 31 August | 1 January - 2 February | France,[10] Germany,[11] Italy,[citation needed] Spain,[12] Scotland[citation needed] |
| 1 July - 1 September | 5 January - 31 January | Denmark[13] |
| Last day of season - 31 August | 1 January - 2 February | England[14][15] |
If the last day of a transfer window is on a weekend, the deadline can be extended to the following Monday at the request of those involved for business reasons.[16] The first shift of the deadline since its inception took place in summer 2008, when the deadline was extended by 24 hours to fall on Monday 1 September at midnight.[17][18] The transfer deadline in England was similarly extended to 5pm 1 September 2009, due to the August Bank Holiday. The German football league has announced to extend the January 2009 deadline to 2 February.[19]
Free agents can be signed by a club at any time in the season, if they had been released by their previous club before the end of the transfer window.[16] A club can request to sign a player on emergency basis, e.g. if several goalkeepers are injured at the same time.[16] In England, clubs from the Football League Championship to the Football Conference can loan in players from 8 September to 25 November and also from 8 February until 24 March.[20] An existing loan deal can be made permanent at any time outside the transfer window.[citation needed]
The day upon which a window closes is known as transfer deadline day, and is usually one of the busiest days of the window, generating a flurry of transfers, often because a number of interdependent transfers are completed resembling a housing chain, generating much media interest.
Calls to end the transfer window
Steve Coppell, former manager of Bristol City in England's Football League Championship, and others have called for the transfer window to be scrapped in favour of the previous system, where deals could be struck throughout the season until the closing weeks.[21] Coppell said that the transfer window breeds panic and encourages “scurrilous” transfer activity adding that “I cannot see the logic in a transfer window. It brings on a fire-sale mentality, causes unrest via the media and means clubs buy too many players” adding that “The old system, where if you had a problem you could look at loans or make a short-term purchase, was far better than this system we have at the moment.”[22]
On the January 2008 deadline day former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp said the club had received a call at 11.55pm (five minutes before the .stm | title=Clubs face wait over Benjani deal | work=BBC Sport | accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref> However, the Benjani transfer to Manchester City did eventually go through several days later. Coincidentally, on the January 2010 deadline day, Benjani was involved in another deal which was officially completed once the window had been shut. Benjani was due to join Sunderland on loan but due to technical issues Sunderland could not process the paperwork required. He moved to Sunderland on 2 February (the day after the window shut).
See also
References
- ^ "Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (2008)" (PDF). FIFA. 2003-10-19. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
- ^ "Uefa wants transfer windows". BBC Sport. 2002-01-24. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Transfer clarification". The Football Association. 2005-04-01. Retrieved 2008-10-29. [dead link]
- ^ "Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players" (PDF). FIFA. p. 10. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Beslut från Representantskapet 2010" (in Swedish). Svenska Fotbollförbundet. 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
- ^ "Nytt overgangsvindu i Norge" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ "登録期間（ウインドー）と追加登録期限について" (in Japanese). Japan Professional Football League. 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ^ "2009 MLS Player Rules & Regulations". Major League Soccer. 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
- ^ "Säännöt ja määräykset" (in Finnish). Suomen Palloliitto. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Titre II - Les joueurs" (PDF) (in French). UNFP. 2007. p. 25. Retrieved 2008-10-30. [dead link]
- ^ "Spielordnung" (PDF) (in German). Deutscher Fußball-Bund. p. 27. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Liga de Fútbol Profesional,". Liga de Fútbol Profesional. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ "Premier Dansk Boldspil Union, Cirkulære 68, Danske regler om overgangsperioder, betaling af træningskompensation og fordeling af solidaritetsbetaling". Danish Football Association. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
- ^ "Premier League Hand Book, see page 150" (PDF). The Premier League. 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ "The FA Rules & Regs FAQs Transfer Windows". The F. A. 2004-01-29. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ a b c "Deadline day rules & regulations". BBC Sport. 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ BBC Staff reporter (18 August 2008). "Transfer deadline to be extended". BBC. Retrieved 2008-10-07. Archived 2008-10-07.
- ^ Gatward, Matt. "Wenger urges fans to support Adebayor as striker seals new deal", The Independent (London), 19 August 2008, p. 54.
- ^ "Wechselperiode I endet erst am Montag" (in German). bundesliga.de. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "The transfer window explained". BBC Sport. 2002-12-18. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
- ^ "Steve Coppell calls for end to transfer window". The Times. London. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
- ^ Ley, John (2007-12-31). "Managers hit out at 'rubbish' transfer system". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2008-01-02.