http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/020906/1/2qo64.html It seems due to the financial problems, Gooch and one other contract were voided.
Any idea yet on ramifications? Will they try to re-sign him at lower price? Allow him to leave on a free?
Think he'll try his luck with another Euro team, or do you think he'll end up signing with MLS? I know it's pretty late in the season to sign with an MLS team. If he ends up signing with MLS for next year, he'll have to go a pretty long stretch without playing any matches. It seems like he's in a pretty tough spot right now.
I'm no expert on French contract law, but how can a team and a player sign a contract and then have it voided unilaterally by the team b/c of "financial" problems. (I can't imagine the decision was mutual, but maybe it was.)
Looks like Gooch wants to give Berhalter a run for his money as the American with "the most interesting contract situations" Sachin
Will he be restrained by the same transfer window that closed for the English teams? Is that window a Euro restriction or just an EPL restriction? It would be a great misfortune for him to have to wait for the MLS season to kick back in.
As I read it on Reuters, the transfer window is for all of UEFA. I don't know if there are any loopholes for Gooch, MLS however, has not finalized rosters yet, unless it was Friday. James
There are exemptions in the UEFA transfer window for free agents. (free agents aren't transfers, after all). I've seen managers talk about hurdles, but I'm not sure what they are. However, free agents are still signing/negotiating. The Higgibotham situation referred to the fact that he would have been able to sign before Jan. if he was left without a contract.
My uneducated prediction is that he will end up in the German second or third division -- these leagues are populated with Americans young and old, and while Americans may have difficulty actually getting pt and breaking into first team rosters, for whatever reason it seems more Americans end up in Germany than elsewhere.
Story from Planet football here: http://www.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=107944&Title=More+woe+for+Metz I hope he lands in the French 1st or some other competitive league where he can develop.
My guess is Metz will have to prove financial solvency to sign anyone for one dollar, Gooch or not. To be honest, they really don't need him...they're doing pretty well so far.
Buff, ol' buddy, they're in thirteenth place in the second division with a goal difference of -1. they're almost bankrupt. They were in the 1st division last year. If this is good, what would be doing bad?
Confused them with another team, but look at the parity in the table in D2. 11 teams within five points.
Yi, Akwari, and now Onyewu all get screwed going overseas (although Yi now seems set with Royal Antwerp). With all the financial problems, the EU market is a tough one at the moment.
Maybe MLS and single entity aren't such a bad option at the moment. Better than signing with a NASL type club such as Metz, or any other club in Europe.
Hurray for MLS. As I have said to the dismay of many of my fellow USA fans- MLS is the future. Everything else is just interesting noise.
Yeah,look at the useless Euros we played in the World Cup- Reyna,O'Brien,Friedel,Sanneh,Berhalter,Lewis.(sigh) There's no guarantee that MLS will even be around after 2006 .There's no way that MLS can be the sole supplier of talent to the US 2006 team.None. I support MLS,I think it's made good strides,and I hope it thrives.But please get serious.There will ,for the forseeable future, be a significant contingent of Euro-based Americans in the USMNT pool.
The only exemptions in the FIFA transfer rules are if a players contract is breached beyond his control. This is the case with Onyewu as it is with Higginbotham. Higginbotham - as well as the other Derby players - haven't been paid per the terms of their contracts; thus a breach of contract beyond the players control. There is also a stipulation that could allow clubs close to bankruptcy or already in administration (bankruptcy reorganization in the U.S.) to sell players to raise funds. FIFA doesn't want clubs to go out of business and players not to be able to earn a living. "Normal" free agents didn't have their contract breached - they let it lapse. Otherwise, if a Club wanted to transfer a player during the "closed window", all they would have to do is release the player and he would be a free agent. Domestic tranfers in UEFA are also closed at this time. IIRC, free agents are still registered with their former club until they sign a new contract and their registration is transfered (technically the player isn't transfered, but his registration) from the former club to the new club. I think they stay registered for 30 months. This doesn't mean that the former club holds the rights to the said play, it just means he is only registered to play for the former club until the player finds a new club. I think Onyewu has grounds to file an appeal with FIFA and he will probably be allowed to transfer to another club within UEFA. It will probably take about a month (maybe two) to sort it, however. Nurnburg need help in defense, as does St. Pauli. He might as well sign with MLS (if I were MLS I would only sign him to a long term contract. If I were Onyewu I would only sign a six month contract), go into the weighted draft and play in the playoffs. A non-playoff club could trade him for multiple picks in the 2003 SuperDraft.
How many players are available right now? If Onyewu's contract is voided then he is in a good position to negotiate with another club versus a player who must wait until January.