Will FIFA Shake-Up The Transfer Window?

There are definite murmurings concerning the length of the transfer window and the effect it can have on a footballer’s career. And it’s starting to look like FIFA will have to start listening at some point soon as one player, Joe Yoffe, is in the process of deciding whether to take them to court over these restraints that he considers unfair.

Yoffe, who is 26 and has just finished a very successful time in Iceland, is now without a club to play for and, under the rules as they stand at the moment, he cannot join any other club in Europe until the transfer window opens again in January.

This makes it very difficult for Yoffe to continue his career and forces him into a stage of uncertainty, and makes it difficult for his fans to follow him.

Yoffe has been quoted recently as saying that “a couple of lawyers have already said they’d like to take the case.”. He went on to say that he understands that it most likely isn’t FIFA’s idea to stop any player but that he feels it’s a grey area.

Yoffe was born in Manchester but has since played in Canada, Spain, Australia and Iceland since he started his career playing for Stockport back in the days when they were in the Championship. He has been playing in the second tier of the Icelandic league at UMF Selfoss and should he decide that he is going to go ahead and take action legally against FIFA, it could lead to a massive change in the transfer rules.

The transfer window each year keeps many players in a state of limbo while deals are thrashed out and offers are made. Fans can check the odds on the transfers at bookmakers, but it is never certain exactly how it’s going to go, something that can have a huge detrimental effect on the career path for a player.

Yoffe went on to say that it is something he feels very strongly about and that he believes other players feel equally as strongly about it. He said:

“Some I know are signing shorter deals which means their contract expires before the window closes. It protects them and they don’t have to go four months without a club. It’s not just for me. I want to help others in the same situation.”

It can certainly be argued that keeping a player waiting for months can deny their chances of impressing the right people. Yoffe is talking to lawyers and we’ll have to wait and see what becomes of this very real debate.