Football·International Regulations·FIFA
FIFA RSTP-2008
- Adopted
- 2004/12/18
The 2008 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, in force from 1 January 2008; article 18bis on third-party influence on clubs appears for the first time in this edition.
| Approval | Base text: 18 December 2004 — FIFA Executive Committee |
| In force from | Amendments: 1 January 2008 |
| Structure | 29 articles + 5 annexes |
| Status | Superseded — replaced by the 2010 edition |
What are the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players?
The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) determine the global and binding framework for the registration of players, their amateur or professional status, transfers between clubs affiliated to different associations, contractual stability, the protection of minors, and the training compensation and solidarity mechanisms. Certain provisions of these regulations must be incorporated without modification into the internal regulations of each national association.
About the 2008 editionChanges from the 2005 edition
In this edition, the enforcement article still retains the same text as the previous edition (approval by the FIFA Executive Committee on 18 December 2004), but the document expressly states that "these amendments come into force on 1 January 2008". The present edition is therefore the 2005 text together with the amendments in force from the beginning of 2008.
Key changes from the previous edition
- Addition of article 18bis — third-party influence on clubsThis article, which did not exist in the 2005 edition, is included for the first time in this edition.
- Expansion of the list of articles binding at national levelThe list of articles that national associations are required to incorporate without modification into their own regulations was expanded from "articles 2 to 8, 10, 11 and 18" to "articles 2 to 8, 10, 11, 18 and 18bis".
Who this document matters to
For clubs engaged in international transfers, players and coaches under contract with a foreign club, agents and sports lawyers, this document is the principal basis for the legal assessment of a case. In any dispute, the applicable edition of the regulations is the one that was in force at the time the relevant event occurred; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance for past cases.