FIFA regulations for the status and transfer of players amended.

On 1 January 2008 a new edition of the FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players entered into force. In addition to purely linguistic alterations the new Regulations also encompass some new provisions. These provisions are primarily a codification of jurisprudence from the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, the Players' Status Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The FIFA hopes to increase legal certainty by ensuring that the jurisprudence is more strongly represented in the Regulations.

Article 18b of the new Regulations is remarkable. This article regards the prohibition against clubs concluding contracts that enable third parties to exercise influence on the independence of clubs and the decisions taken by the club concerning the transfer of players.

Pursuant to article 17 paragraph 3 a player who wishes to unilaterally terminate his employment contract outside the protected period should notify...