Over a year ago, on 1 March 2015, FIFA introduced a new article to its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (art. 12bis) to further improve efficiency and to provide clear regulatory steps to deal with overdue payables from clubs to players and from clubs to other clubs.

The new addition to the regulations has provided the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) and the Players’ Status Committee (PSC) with wider scope to impose sanctions on clubs, ranging from reprimands to fines and registration bans with or without suspension, in cases of non-compliance with their contractual financial obligations. It also provides increased scope for the DRC and PSC, and has strengthened the current overdue payables system, which has led to improvements in contractual stability for both players and clubs.

The addition of article 12bis has seen more amicable settlements of disputes, with 20% of PSC proceedings and 15% of DRC proceedings on overdue payables now settled during the dispute investigation phase. It has also shortened the timeframe for decisions taken on overdue payables, with decisions now being taken by the PSC and DRC within eight weeks and claimants being notified of a decision within nine weeks of lodging their complete claim.

The shortening of timeframes associated with claim proceedings has led to improved efficiency, to the benefit of the claimants and the decisions affecting them.

Initial findings from March to December 2015 illustrate that of the 200 overdue payables claims received, 120 were player versus club claims that fell under the competence of the DRC, and 80 were claims from clubs against other clubs that fell under the competence of the PSC. A total of 69 decisions were taken from March to December 2015. The DRC was responsible for 44 of these and the PSC for 25.

Additional information on article 12bis of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players can be found here and here.