Fifa transfers to web-based system

Fifa wants more transparency on football transfers

Fifa’s president is to reveal further details of an electronic system which tracks cross-border transfer deals of footballers moving clubs.

Sepp Blatter will update national football associations on the web-based tool at the international football association’s 58th Congress, which started today in Sydney. It is hoped that the Fifa Transfer Matching System will clamp down on corruption within the sport by increasing the transparency of financial transactions between clubs.

The current structure for managing transfers relies on faxes sent to and from teams, containing full details of the player, their agents and the exact nature of the deal. This information all has to be passed through Fifa’s Zurich headquarters.

Eighteen Fifa member associations have signed up for pilot schemes with the new technology, including England, France and Portugal.

Last month Norway became the first nation to hold an in-country workshop. Since then four Norwegian first division sides have been added to the system and processed 40 deals.