Dylan Bettencourt
South African football is missing out on a payout of millions of rand from Fifa because of outdated regulations regarding the domestic transfer of young players.
The South African Football Association (Safa) released a development report on Friday relating to the compensation and solidarity payments, as established by the Fifa Clearing House (FCH) four years ago.
The payment from Fifa happens when a young player is registered as a professional and then attempting to get Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs reimbursed for the transfer of young players.
World governing body Fifa gives clubs which transfer local players under the age of 23 a form of payment for its development team.
CEO Jason Anderson of Inqaku, which provides Safa with amateur football results, explained the circumstances required to receive the payment from Fifa.
“Fifa won’t pay training compensation automatically, or solidarity for South African-only transfers,” Anderson said, speaking to SABC Sport.
“For a player that turns professional or is transferred domestically, where there is no international component, [the club] receives no compensation. This includes a player developed in South Africa who signs a PSL contract,” he said.
“As it stands today, unfortunately, Safa’s regulations on the status and transfer of players, which govern that domestically, are not enforceable.”
Anderson said it is something that needs to be addressed in South African football to make it clearer on who should receive the money and when.
Fifa is said to hand out around R6.4-billion to 10,000 different clubs each year through the programme.
Anderson explained that any form of payment through the FCH could benefit South African football and its development.
“The clearing house has the potential to be a real game-changer in ensuring clubs are compensated in the way Fifa has designed these rules,” the CEO explained.
“A few thousand US dollars to a local or rural South African club is game-changing money to that club. They can buy kit, transport and equipment they need to continue operating and producing high-level talent.”
Image source: @Goal
