Cardiff City, Swansea City and other Welsh clubs are being put at a significant disadvantage in the transfer market by a new FIFA rule, it has emerged.
The Bluebirds are understood to be unhappy about the development, which comes into effect today and means loan signings they make from English clubs are now subject to international transfer regulations. That's because Cardiff and other Welsh clubs in the English system come under the FAW's jurisdiction, while their rivals are naturally affiliated with the English FA.
FIFA's new rule states a club can only loan a maximum of eight players aged 21 or over to different associations at any one time and the same applies to the number which can be loaned in. The problem is set to be compounded in the coming years, with the maximum dropping to seven in 2023/24. It will then be cut to six indefinitely from 2024/25.
In practice, this means big Premier League clubs, who naturally have a high number of players out on loan, are likely to be more reticent about commiting to loaning players to Welsh clubs if there are English alternatives. It's believed two potential Cardiff loan signings this summer have already stalled because of the ruling.
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FIFA claim the rules - which were introduced two years later than originally planned owing to the Covid-19 pandemic - are designed to "improve the development of young players, to promote competitive balance and to prevent the hoarding of players", something a number of top-flight clubs have been accused of in recent years.
With Cardiff being affiliated with the FAW, if Cardiff were to loan in or loan out a player aged 21 or over from or to an English club it will be subject to the FIFA quotas. It is why you often see Cardiff announce signings "subject to international clearance" due to the need to ratify an international transfer certificate (ITC).
The FA and FAW have discussed the implication this will have on Welsh clubs participating in English leagues, but due to the involvement of an ITC, via FIFA TMS (an online system used to facilitate international transfers), they are mandated to comply with these rules.
The new rules, as things stand, do not cover domestic loans, but FIFA has said national associations must bring their regulations in line within three years - so by July 1, 2025 at the latest.
It should also be added that players under the age of 21 have to be club-trained to be exempt from the quota. That means they have to be registered with the parent club between the ages of 15 and 21 for three seasons or 36 months, regardless of whether the period is continuous or not. So, the very slight positive news is that these rules are not in place when trying to recruit club-trained players under the age of 21, like Tommy Doyle was last season.
But Cardiff are, perhaps understandably, angry they are subjected to these rules and have appealed to try and get them changed or to insert a loophole to navigate around it and allow them to operate on a level-playing field to their cross-border rivals. However, as things stand they have been unsuccessful. They believe that playing in the same league as 69 other English clubs, all of whom come under the FA umbrella, but having to comply with different transfer rules puts them at an unfair disadvantage.
Because if Cardiff wanted to take a Manchester City player, for argument's sake, and so did Bristol City, the club loaning the player out might be more inclined to send them to the English side of the Severn so that it doesn't impact their abroad loan quota. It's an extra consideration for the parent club and it could very well knock Cardiff down the pecking order of preferred clubs.
Let's take Chelsea as an example. They had the likes of Tiemoue Bakayoko (AC Milan), Kenedy (Flamengo), Michy Batshuayi (Besiktas), Matt Miazga (Alaves) and Emerson Palmieri (Lyon) all over 21 and on loan to big European and South American clubs last year, so you can see why Cardiff feel they might be at a disadvantage if that's the sort of field they are battling within. Ethan Ampadu, who is now 21 and was on loan at Venezia last year, would now count as part of the quota this time around if Chelsea decide to send him away again.
Manchester City, meanwhile, had Arijanet Muric (Adam Demirpsor), Iker Pozo (HNK Rijeka), Julian Alvarez (River Plate), Philippe Sandler, Patrick Roberts, Erik Palmer-Brown (all Troyes), Marlos Moreno (KV Kortrijk), Ryotaro Meshino (Estoril), Daniel Arzani (Lommel SK), Ko Itakura (Schalke) and Yangel Herrera (Espanyol) as players who were 21 or over on loan abroad last year at some point - showing what an impact it will make to their decision-making.
It has already caused a problem for Cardiff in this transfer window, it is understood. The Bluebirds have enquired about a couple of targets who they want on loan but the parent club have cited the rule and now have to weigh up how many players they want to send out of England before committing to a decision. They are kicking the can down the road while Cardiff are eager to get their ducks in a row.
It has a meaningful knock-on effect for Cardiff's transfer planning. The club are keen to start the season well and with such a squad overhaul having taken place this summer. They want the players to have as much time as possible to bond and gain an understanding of the new system and culture being implemented by Steve Morison and his staff.
While this might not have had such a sizeable impact in years gone by, it is extremely pertinent now as Cardiff are looking to lean further on the loan market in order to get more quality in the squad at a fraction of the price it would cost them if they bought and paid for Premier League prospects outright.
Cardiff are understood to want another centre-back and at least one more forward option before the window closes on September 1 and would ideally like their new-look squad to be propped up further by Premier League quality through the loan system before the window closes.
Unfortunately, though, it looks like they may be made to wait as top-flight teams thrash out their plans for their squads and wait on their own transfers to be completed before knowing how many players they want to send on loan and, more pertinently, how many of those will be sent internationally.
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