Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (January 2020)
The January 2020 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players; the international match calendar for women's football and the rules on the release of women players were set out in detail in Annexe 1 for the first time.
| Adopted | 3 June 2019 — FIFA Council (implementation article unchanged from the previous edition) |
| In force from | Implementation article: 1 October 2019 |
| Structure | 29 articles + 7 annexes |
| Status | Superseded — replaced by the March 2020 edition |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 January 2020 editionChanges from October 2019
In this edition, article 29 (implementation) still retains the text of the October 2019 edition: adoption by the FIFA Council on 3 June 2019 and entry into force on 1 October 2019. The changes in this edition are concentrated mainly in Annexe 1 (release of players to association teams).
Key changes from the previous edition
- International match calendar for women's footballIt was provided that the published calendar shall include all international windows as well as the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Olympic Football Tournament (Women) and the blocked periods for the confederations' women's "A" national team competitions.
- Requirement to be staged within blocked periodsIt was specified that the confederations' women's "A" national team competitions and the final Olympic qualifying stage must be staged within those same designated blocked periods.
- Geographical rule of two matches per windowIt was provided that the two matches of each international window shall be staged within the territory of a single confederation; exception: intercontinental play-off matches, and where at least one of the two matches is a friendly, staging in two confederations is permitted only if the total flight distance does not exceed five hours.
- Sanction for a player's failure to return on timeIt was provided that, if a player fails to return to the club by the stipulated deadline, the FIFA Players' Status Committee may, at the express request of the club, reduce that player's next release period (international window: two days; final competitions: five days).
- Redefinition of the type II windowThe duration of the type II window was increased from nine days to ten days and its scope was extended to friendly national team tournaments and qualifying competitions.
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.