Soccer America calls out MLS on transfer dates?

[dncm]

Not sure if this is right forum or if allowed to copy text from the MLS Confidential email (mods please correct/move if needed)

Thought this was interesting. From Soccer America's MLS Confidential on the new transfer dates and Landon's situation:

"1. OH, BOO HOO: Cue the violins to accompany the lamentations and whining emanating about American soccer transfer windows.

Piling blame upon FIFA for bringing American soccer leagues in line with the rest of the world will be a constant theme for the next few months, yet MLS bears much of the brunt for putting itself behind the eight ball.

To wit:

a) Last year, MLS and USSF simply ignored FIFA's decree that any national association whose leagues import contracted players registered with teams in other national associations must specify and adhere to transfer windows. Sorry, those are the rules guys, time to catch up.

b) The dates (Jan. 1-March 31 and Aug. 15-Sept. 15 in the case of MLS) were not imposed or dictated by FIFA, contrary to popular perception.

Representatives of MLS, USL and the defunct WUSA met last year to thrash out dates, which were proposed to USSF, which submitted them to FIFA, which approved them.

c) MLS said nothing about the dates being implemented until they came under question as the loan of Landon Donovan to English Premier League club Portsmouth neared fruition, but said plenty when they were made public.

Did somebody at MLS headquarters suddenly come out of a coma and blurt out, "Hey about these windows we've adopted, do we really have to follow them?" FIFA Circular 801 stipulates a loan is one transfer, not two, but that the respective transfer windows must be adhered to. This latest stipulation has been challenged a few times in the case of loans but is usually enforced.

Thus, Portsmouth could either take Donovan on a loan until the American window closes March 31 or say no thanks. Or it could have applied for a special waiver from FIFA to allow him to rejoin San Jose when the English season ends May 15, rather than wait until the American window re-opens in mid-August.

USSF could have requested he be released to play in the Olympic qualifiers, although because the competition falls outside the FIFA international calendars teams can refuse to release their players. Several teams have done just that, which is why Conor Casey (Karlsruhe) and Oguchi Oneywu (La Louviere) are not with their under-23 teammates in Mexico.

The big CONCACAF semi is on a Tuesday (Feb. 10). Would Portsmouth have let him go for a midweek commitment? Would Olympic coach Glenn Myernick agree to such an arrangement?

Maybe, maybe not, but back in 1998, Kasey Keller and Claudio Reyna joined the U.S. team in time for that famous 1-0 Gold Cup semifinal victory over Brazil. Reyna didn't play, but Keller stuffed Romario and Co.

Donovan and MLS have blamed FIFA for his loan deal being aborted; perhaps Portsmouth simply got wind of a snag and moved on with the European and English windows about to close. The club signed eight players through transfers or loans, including three strikers, so it wasn't as if Pompey was reluctant to deal.

Bad FIFA rule? Not entirely. Bad planning? No doubt."

[FlashMan]

Yea, Mahoney is really trashing the powers that be.

I have no idea if he is right or wrong.

[StillKickin]

Originally posted by dncm
yet MLS bears much of the brunt for putting itself behind the eight ball.

To wit:b) The dates (Jan. 1-March 31 and Aug. 15-Sept. 15 in the case of MLS) were not imposed or dictated by FIFA, contrary to popular perception.

Representatives of MLS, USL and the defunct WUSA met last year to thrash out dates, which were proposed to USSF, which submitted them to FIFA, which approved them.

c) The big CONCACAF semi is on a Tuesday (Feb. 10). Would Portsmouth have let him go for a midweek commitment? Would Olympic coach Glenn Myernick agree to such an arrangement?


B) Yeah, I had heard that it was MLS that chose the transfer dates and not FIFA.

C) In reading press releases from Portsmouth, they were more than happy to wait for Donovan until the Olympic qualifiers were over. Therefore, all that seemed to be worked out already.

[Sachin]

MLS ignoring a rule they designed?

Pull the other one!

Sachin

[due time]

Soccer America's point is all well and good, but the illogical part is why FIFA demands that the return home has to be during the MLS window. What is the problem with having a window for the start of a loan, but let it end whenever the player/teams agree, as long as that player is returning to his original team? That's the part that makes no sense to me, especially when the rule is applied in this type of situation where the player is straddling two leagues/regions with different windows.

When you have leagues around the world with different starting and ending dates, you have to have rules that make sense for everyone, not just European players transferring between European teams.

And is SA suggesting MLS should adopt the European calendar? That would be completely idiotic and fails to take into account the weather and market conditions outside Europe.

[mls0soccer0nmu]

And is SA suggesting MLS should adopt the European calendar? That would be completely idiotic and fails to take into account the weather and market conditions outside Europe. [/B][/QUOTE]

I don't think SA is suggesting MLS should use the European transfer windows. But that MLS should follow the rules that they adopted for themselves.

[due time]

Originally posted by dncm
"Piling blame upon FIFA for bringing American soccer leagues in line with the rest of the world will be a constant theme for the next few months..."

Wasn't sure how encompassing they intended this on my first read thru. Bring into line with xfer windows, or more than that? After reading again, I think you are right, they just meant having xfer windows.

[owendylan]

Originally posted by due time
Soccer America's point is all well and good, but the illogical part is why FIFA demands that the return home has to be during the MLS window. What is the problem with having a window for the start of a loan, but let it end whenever the player/teams agree, as long as that player is returning to his original team? That's the part that makes no sense to me, especially when the rule is applied in this type of situation where the player is straddling two leagues/regions with different windows.

When you have leagues around the world with different starting and ending dates, you have to have rules that make sense for everyone, not just European players transferring between European teams.


Yes this is illogical. My take on this is that FIFA is so euro-focused that they didn't see this potential issue come up because europe follows pretty much the same transfer windows. They didn't take into account potential loans from outside of europe when they created this rule. I would hope that the USSF or one of the confederations would approach the committee on players status and ask for a change in the wording in order to accomodate players from outside of the european transfer windows. I won't hold my breath on this to happen but it would be a good thing if it were.