UEFA Confirm Financial Fair Play Changes & Proposed End Date for Summer Transfer Window
By Tom Gott
UEFA have confirmed that the Financial Fair Play restraints for the 2019/20 season will be relaxed and only considered alongside the results of the 2020/21 campaign next summer.
Teams are normally prohibited from recording certain losses during a financial year, but given the coronavirus outbreak has left some sides facing unprecedented losses, it was quickly accepted that enforcing the current rules would be nearly impossible.
More #UEFAExCo decisions have been made today.
— UEFA (@UEFA) June 18, 2020
? Financial fair play: Temporary emergency measures as a result of #COVID19.
? Developed and supported by all stakeholders within the UEFA Emergency Working Group on Legal, Regulatory and Financial matters.
Full announcement: ?
As a result, UEFA took to their official website to note that the rules have been temporarily changed to ensure no team is unfairly punished, but there is still a focus on ensuring that well-off teams don't take advantage.
It is accepted that teams will be suffering because of the global crisis, rather than financial mismanagement, so those clubs will be given more time to balance their books and find ways to recover from the current situation.
UEFA will also give teams an extra month to show that they have met all their financial obligations, such as outstanding transfers and tax payments, moving the deadline from 30 June to 31 July.
For teams like Barcelona, who are thought to be desperately searching for €70m to balance the books, this could be a huge blessing.
Officials have also proposed a harmonised transfer window around Europe. Clubs must submit their squads for the 2020/21 Champions League and Europa League on 6 October, so the hope is that all leagues will agree to end their transfer windows on 5 October.
? 2020/21 deadline for UEFA club competitions player registration – 6 October 2020.
— UEFA (@UEFA) June 18, 2020
As a result, the #UEFAExCo called on all member associations to adopt a harmonised end date to the upcoming summer transfer window, with this date set as 5 October 2020. pic.twitter.com/Q8lwtDygw8
Previous reports have noted that most major European leagues had already given the unofficial nod to a closing date of 2 October, so it seems likely that this latest plan will pass with relative ease.
The opening date of the window is yet to be confirmed, with leagues and European competitions all finishing at different times. FIFA are understood to have given permission for each league to open their window four weeks before the season comes to an end, but that is yet to be officially confirmed.