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FIFA pushes on with plans to limit number of players loaned out – Chelsea currently have 40 (FORTY)

5 years ago
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Kenedy is on loan from Chelsea to Newcastle United this season.

Incredibly, the 22 year old left sided player is one of 40 (FORTY) players that the West London club currently have out on loan.

This ridiculous situation has been allowed to continue for some years but now FIFA are belatedly acting.

They are proposing a maximum number being set for the number of loans any club can have at one time, with their initial suggestion being six.

The FIFA Council is set to discuss the issue on 26 October and once a maximum number is agreed, the plan is to phase the new set-up in, over a period of two years.

FIFA are also looking to tackle the growing problem of agents and the amount of money they take out of the sport, plus they intend to significantly increase the compensation due to clubs who develop young players, only to then lose them to the likes of Premier League clubs in particular.

Amazingly, Chelsea are still claiming that rather than ‘commercial exploitation’, their intention when loaning as many as 40 players out at a time is simply ‘youth development’…yes, we all believe that one.

A quick check reveals that currently they have players out on loan in pretty much all the top leagues, including Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Brazil and Spain, as well as other Premier League clubs such as Newcastle.

Here’s hoping this proposal is brought in quickly with numbers allowed, kept to an absolute minimum. It is crazy how so many players aren’t getting on with having a proper career and instead sent out on numerous loans by clubs such as Chelsea, with all but zero chance of ever playing for their parent club’s first team.

BBC Sport:

‘Fifa plans to limit the number of players a club can loan out each season to prevent teams stockpiling talent.

Football’s governing body had proposed a maximum of six loans per club.

But is still has to come to an agreement with the game’s other stakeholders – including club, league and player representatives – as to what the limit should be.

The proposed new regulation could affect the likes of Chelsea, who have 40 players on loan this season.

Fifa will also re-introduce the regulation of agents by summer 2019.

The plans were endorsed by representatives from clubs, the World Leagues Forum, players ‘union’ Fifpro as well as member associations and confederations at a meeting on Monday, Fifa said. Its full council will look to sign off the proposals next month.

President Gianni Infantino has previously said he was “concerned about the huge amount of money flowing out of the football industry”, and hopes the plans will improve the transparency of the transfer system.

Since 2015, anyone can become a football agent, and Premier League clubs have paid them £211m in the past year, an increase of £37m on the previous year.

But Fifa’s proposals to cap agents’ fees have been dismissed for the time being.

Chelsea have previously said they “don’t send players out [on loan] because we are trying to recover money, we send them because we want them to play and develop”.

But the Fifa Football Stakeholders Committee has agreed the as yet undetermined limit should be introduced for “the purpose of youth development as opposed to commercial exploitation”.

It is hoped a figure can be agreed on as part of plans to be phased in over the next two years.

Other regulations include creating a “clearing house” to process transfers with the aim of protecting football’s integrity and avoiding fraudulent conduct.

And there will be a big increase in solidarity payments to lower-league clubs who have trained players but then lose them to clubs from other countries.

The principles of the reform package will be submitted to the Fifa Council at its next meeting on 26 October.’

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