Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reports have emerged that FIFA is considering a few alterations, which also includes a proposal of changing the dates of the summer transfer window.
While there are still uncertainties over the 2019/20 football season, it is said that the officials are working towards a decision of either delaying or extending the 2020 summer transfer window. There is, however, no particular timeline as of now. One report from the Express says that it could very well stay open until January 2021.
The men’s transfer window in England and Scotland opens on June 10, but if the dates are extended or even delayed, it will be interesting to see how the clubs will deal with the players who are out of contract on June 30 given that there are still a lot of games to be played in the 2019/20 season.
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Speaking about the issue, a FIFA spokesperson said, "On March 18 the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided to establish a FIFA-Confederations Working Group in response to COVID-19.
"This Working Group will assess the need for amendments or temporary dispensations to the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players' to protect contracts for both players and clubs and adjusting player registration periods.
"This work has already started and will be conducted in consultation with all key stakeholders, including confederations, member associations, clubs, leagues and players."
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The coronavirus pandemic has led to the postponement of every league across the continent, but the respective governing bodies remain hopeful of finishing the season by June 30, "should the situation improve and resuming playing be appropriate and prudent enough."
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Fabrice Coffrini
