Tam could walk for nothing!
New FIFA transfer rules to change the face
of our game
(Stuart Crowther)
TAM MCMANUS WILL HOPE to remain a
Hibs player for a few years yet, as he learns his trade and establishes
himself in the first team at Easter Road. A player who is not in a
hurry and knows the dangers of moving to soon - and for that Hibs fans can
be grateful. But under new FIFA regulations due to be released
today, McManus and anyone on the Easter Road books could walk after two
years of their contract, and there will be nothing that clubs could do
about it.
The decision comes after
months of wrangling between FIFA, UEFA and the European Parliament, with a
new system to come into effect immediately that heralds yet more painful
changes to the game. In recent seasons Hibs have taken a great deal
of care over the contracts they have offered players, and this has seen
such as Stuart Lovell and Mixu Paatelainen refuse deals and move on.
However the clubs in Scotland have all been aware for some time what has
been proposed, and only now it is becoming generally known just why
Hibernian have been reluctant to offer long contracts to players, as the
new system dictates that after two years any player can move on with the
transfer fee fixed at what they would have been paid for the remainder of
their contracts.
Ian Murray - hit bar for Scotland U-21's (sns)
In effect, this means
that the transfer fee system as we know it is all but dead. Only
when a player moves on with the agreement of his club in the first two
years of any contract can clubs negotiate a transfer fee, meaning that
only in exceptional and rare circumstances would clubs such as Hibs and
Hearts be able to cash-in on any
player. Hearts in particular will feel pleased with themselves in
selling Colin Cameron this week for £1.75m, given that from the end of
this season he will have completed two years of his current deal and could
have walked for next to nothing. The rules however will provide a
degree of protection to the clubs themselves, as no longer will a player
be able to simply force a break in his deal during that first two years.
Any player who decides
he is leaving a club during the first 24 months of a contract faces a
4-month ban from the game, so players themselves will need to be far more
careful when signing any deal. Another change that will be welcomed
in particular by clubs who find a star player only to have them snatched
from under them by wealthier opponents is the 'transfer window' system.
There will be only one short period during each season when transfers from
one club to another can take place, so panic buying towards the end of a
season by Rangers and Celtic will be a thing of the past!
Meanwhile McManus had no
thoughts for club dealings last night when he turned out for
Scotland's Under-21 side in
Perth. The Hibs striker was out of luck however, substituted just
over an hour into the Scots 1-1 draw with Croatia. Easter Road
team-mate Ian Murray came close to scoring for the young Scots, his header
coming off the bar on what was another frustrating night for the Under-21
side, who snatched the draw thanks to a last-minute equaliser from former
Hibs star Kenny Miller.
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