Training Compensation
Texto da decisão
Decis ion of the
S ingle Judge of the s ub-com m ittee of the Dis pute
Res olution Cham ber (DRC)
passed on 20 March 2017,
by Roy Verm eer (the Netherlands),
Single Judge of the sub-committee of the DRC,
on the claim presented by the club,
Club A, Country B
as Claimant
against the club,
Club C, Country D
as Respondent
regarding a training compensation dispute
related to the transfer of the Player E
I.
Facts of the case
1.
According to the player passport issued by the Football Federation of Country B, Player E
(hereinafter: the player), born on 20 July 1993, was registered with the following clubs as
follows:
- Club F
- Club A
- Club F
as from 26 October 2010 until 16 August 2011 as a
professional;
as from 17 August 2011 until 8 February 2012 as a
professional on loan;
as from 1 March 2012 until 22 January 2015 as a
professional.
2.
The football season in Country B runs from 1 July until 30 June of the following year.
3.
According to the information contained in the Transfer Matching System (TMS), the player
was registered with the club of Country D, Club C (hereinafter: the Respondent), as a
professional on 23 January 2015 and said club belonged to the category 2 (indicative
amount of EUR 60,000 per year within the Continental Confederation) during the season
when the player was registered with the club.
4.
On 6 February 2017, Club A (hereinafter: the Claimant) contacted FIFA requesting training
compensation for the subsequent transfer of the player as a professional from Club F to the
Respondent. In particular, the Claimant requested the payment of the amount of EUR
25,000, plus 5% interest as of 23 February 2015.
5.
In spite of having been invited by FIFA to provide its position regarding the claims, the
Respondent did not respond to the claim or make any statements at all during the course of
the investigation.
II.
Cons iderations of the S ingle Judge of the sub-com m ittee of the DRC
1.
First of all, the Single Judge of the sub-committee of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
(hereinafter also referred to as: the Single Judge) analysed whether he was competent to
deal with the case at hand. In this respect, the Single Judge took note that the present
matter was submitted to FIFA on 6 February 2017. Consequently, the 2017 edition of the
Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players’ Status Committee and the Dispute
Resolution Chamber (hereinafter: Procedural Rules) is applicable to the matter at hand (cf.
art. 21 of the Procedural Rules).
2.
Subsequently, the Single Judge referred to art. 3 of the Procedural Rules, which states that
the Dispute Resolution Chamber shall examine its jurisdiction in light of arts 22 to 24 of the
Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (edition 2016). In accordance with art. 3 of
Annexe 6 in conjunction with art. 24 par. 3 and art. 22 lit. d) of the Regulations on the
Status and Transfer of Players, the Single Judge is competent to decide on the present
dispute relating to training compensation between clubs belonging to different associations
handled through TMS.
3.
Furthermore, the Single Judge analysed which regulations should be applicable as to the
substance of the matter. In this respect, the Single Judge confirmed that in accordance with
art. 26 par. 1 and 2 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (editions 2014,
2015 and 2016), and considering that the player was registered with the Respondent on 23
January 2015, the 2015 edition of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players
(hereinafter: Regulations) is applicable to the matter at hand as to the substance.
Training compensation in connection with the Player E
(Club A, Country B / Club C, Country D)
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4.
His competence and the applicable regulations having been established, the Single Judge
entered into the substance of the matter. In this respect, the Single Judge started by
acknowledging all the above-mentioned facts as well as the arguments and documentation
submitted by the parties. However, he emphasized that in the following considerations he
will refer only to the facts, arguments and documentary evidence which he considered
pertinent for the assessment of the matter at hand.
5.
In this regard, the Single Judge recalled that the player, born on 20 July 1993, was
registered on a loan basis with the Claimant for the period between 17 August 2011 and 8
February 2012. Equally, the Single Judge observed that after the loan with the Claimant had
expired, the player returned to his club of origin, Club F, i.e. the club with which the player
was still contractually bound. Thereafter, on 23 January 2015, the player was internationally
transferred from Club F to the Respondent on a definitive basis.
6.
In continuation, the Single Judge took note that the Claimant asserted that it was entitled
to receive training compensation from the Respondent in the amount of EUR 25,000.
7.
Equally, the Single Judge noted that the Respondent failed to present its response to the
claim of the Claimant, despite having been invited to do so. In this way, the Respondent
renounced its right to defence and, thus, accepted the allegations of the Claimant. Likewise,
as a consequence of the aforementioned consideration, the Single Judge concurred that in
accordance with art. 9 par. 3 of the Procedural Rules he shall take a decision upon the basis
of the documents already on file, in other words, upon the statements and documents
presented by the Claimant.
8.
In this context, the Single Judge highlighted that the main issue in the present matter is
whether or not a club that accepted a professional on loan is entitled to receive training
compensation when, after the expiry of the loan, the professional returns to his club of
origin, and, thereafter, is transferred from the club of origin to a club belonging to another
association before the end of the season of the player’s 23rd birthday.
9.
In consideration of the above-mentioned issue, the Single Judge, and hereby referring to
the rules applicable to training compensation, started by stating that, as established in art.
20 of the Regulations as well as in art. 1 par. 1 of Annexe 4 in combination with art. 2 of
Annexe 4 of the Regulations, training compensation is payable, as a general rule, for
training incurred between the ages of 12 and 21 when a player is registered for the first
time as a professional before the end of the season of the player’s 23rd birthday or when a
professional is transferred between clubs of two different associations before the end of the
season of the player’s 23rd birthday. In case the latter occurs, art. 3 par. 1 sent. 3 of Annexe 4
of the Regulations sets forth that training compensation will only be owed to the player’s
former club for the time he was effectively trained by that club.
10.
Furthermore, according to art. 10 par. 1 of the Regulations, professionals may be loaned to
another club on the basis of a written agreement between the professional and the clubs
concerned. Moreover, the last sentence of said provision stipulates that any such loan is
subject to the same rules as apply to the transfer of players, including the provisions on
training compensation and the solidarity mechanism.
11.
Following the above, the Single Judge stressed that one of the aims of the last sentence of
art. 10 par. 1 of the Regulations is to ensure that training clubs which register a player on a
loan basis also benefit from the solidarity mechanism and training compensation, provided
that the relevant prerequisites in the pertinent provisions of the Regulations are fulfilled.
This approach is also in line with the Chamber’s well-established jurisprudence that all clubs
Training compensation in connection with the Player E
(Club A, Country B / Club C, Country D)
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which have in actual fact contributed to the training and education of a player as from the
age of 12 are, in principle, entitled to training compensation for the timeframe that the
player was effectively trained by them.
12.
In other words, the Single Judge emphasised that the nature of the player’s registration
with a club claiming training compensation, i.e. on a definite or on a temporary basis, is in
fact irrelevant with respect to the question as to whether such club would be entitled to
receive training compensation for the period of time that the player was effectively trained
by that club.
13.
In this respect and for the sake of good order, the Single Judge deemed it essential to
emphasise that, as to the liability to pay training compensation, the analogy established in
art. 10 par. 1 of the Regulations could not be extended to the case in which players were
loaned to other clubs and thus are not being definitively transferred to a new club. In other
words, the transfer of a player from the club of origin to the club that accepts the player on
loan as well as the return of the player from the club that accepted him on loan to the club
of origin do not constitute a subsequent transfer in the sense of art. 3 par. 1 sent. 3 of
Annexe 4 of the Regulations. The Single Judge was eager to point out that it could not have
been the intention of the legislator of the relevant regulatory provision (art. 10 par. 1 of the
Regulations) to trigger the consequences of art. 3 par. 1 of Annexe 4 of the Regulations on
the occasion of a transfer on a loan basis and, thus, potentially depriving the loan of its
essential flexibility and function of providing young players the opportunity to gain
practical experience in another club in order to develop in a positive way, personally and,
eventually, also for the benefit of the player’s new club.
14.
Following the above, the Single Judge pointed out that the obligation to pay training
compensation thus arises in case a player is definitively transferred from one club to another
club belonging to a different association, but not when he is temporarily transferred to
another club while still being contractually bound to his club of origin (yet, with the effects
of the relevant contract being temporarily suspended), such as a loan. Hence, the relevant
entitlement can only be claimed towards a new club that acquires the services of a player on
a definitive and permanent basis subject to the fulfilment of the prerequisites established in
art. 20 and Annexe 4 of the Regulations.
15.
In this respect, and although the Claimant is not the former club in the sense of art. 3 par. 1
sent. 3 of Annexe 4 of the Regulations, the Single Judge wished to recall that art. 3 par. 1
sent. 3 of Annexe 4 stipulates that “In the case of subsequent transfers of the professional,
training compensation will only be owed to his former club for the time he was effectively
trained by that club”. In this context, the Single Judge acknowledged that the Claimant was
not the player’s former club stricto sensu, however, the Single Judge pointed out that,
within the framework of loans, the period of time that the player was registered with Club
F and the period of time that the player was registered with the Claimant on loan, should
be considered as one entire timeframe. Any other interpretation would lead to the situation
in which clubs accepting a player on loan would never be entitled to receive training
compensation, even if they contribute to the training and education of players.
16.
Bearing in mind the foregoing, the Single Judge deemed that any other interpretation of
art. 3 par. 1 sent. 3 of Annexe 4 of the Regulations would clearly contravene the intention
of the legislator of the Regulations according to which all training clubs shall, in principle,
be rewarded for their efforts invested in training young players, including those clubs that
have accepted a player on a temporary basis.
17.
Consequently, taking into account the above-mentioned considerations, the Single Judge
decided that the Respondent is liable to pay training compensation to the Claimant for the
Training compensation in connection with the Player E
(Club A, Country B / Club C, Country D)
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training of the player in accordance with art. 20 of the Regulations and art. 2 par. 1 lit. ii.
and art. 3 par. 1 of Annexe 4 of the Regulations.
18.
As a result, and considering art. 3 par. 1 sent. 2 of Annexe 4 of the Regulations, which
stipulates that the amount payable is calculated on a pro rata basis according to the period
of training that the player spent with each club, the Single Judge concluded that the
effective period of time to be considered in the matter at stake corresponds to 5 months of
the 2011/2012, i.e. as from 17 August 2011 until 8 February 2012.
19.
Furthermore, the Single Judge referred to the FIFA circular no. 1418 dated 2 May 2014
which provides details for the calculation of training compensation as well as to art. 5 par. 1
and par. 2 of Annexe 4 of the Regulations, which stipulate that as a general rule, to
calculate the training compensation due to a player’s former club, it is necessary to take the
costs that would have been incurred by the new club if it had trained the player itself. In
this respect, the Single Judge took into account that according to the documentation on
file, the Respondent belonged to the club category 2.
20.
Consequently, the Single Judge decided that the Respondent is liable to pay training
compensation to the Claimant in the amount of EUR 25,000.
21.
Moreover, taking into consideration the Claimant’s claim as well as art. 3 par. 2 of Annexe 4
of the Regulations, the Single Judge decided that the Respondent has to pay, in conformity
with its longstanding practice, interest at the rate of 5% p.a. over the amount payable as
training compensation as of the 31st day of the registration of the player with the
Respondent on a definitive basis, i.e. as of 23 February 2015, until the date of effective
payment.
22.
Lastly, the Single Judge referred to art. 25 par. 2 of the Regulations in combination with art.
18 par. 1 of the Procedural Rules, according to which, in proceedings before the DRC
relating to disputes regarding training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, costs in
the maximum amount of CHF 25,000 are levied. It is further stipulated that the costs are to
be borne in consideration of the parties’ degree of success in the proceedings and that, in
accordance with Annexe A of the Procedural Rules, the costs of the proceedings are to be
levied on the basis of the amount in dispute.
23.
In respect of the above, the Single Judge held that the amount to be taken into
consideration in the present proceedings is EUR 25,000 related to the claim of the Claimant.
Consequently, the Single Judge concluded that the maximum amount of costs of the
proceedings corresponds to CHF 5,000 (cf. table in Annexe A of the Procedural Rules).
24.
As a result, and taking into account that the Respondent never took stance in the
procedure, the Single Judge determined the costs of the current proceedings to the amount
of CHF 5,000, which shall be borne by the Respondent.
III.
Decis ion of the S ingle Judge of the sub-comm ittee of the DRC
1.
The claim of the Claimant, Club A, is accepted.
2.
The Respondent, Club C, has to pay to the Claimant, w ithin 30 day s as from the date of
notification of this decision, the amount of EUR 25,000 plus 5% interest p.a. on said amount
as of 23 February 2015 until the date of effective payment.
Training compensation in connection with the Player E
(Club A, Country B / Club C, Country D)
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3.
In the event that the aforementioned sum plus interest is not paid by the Respondent within
the stated time limit, the present matter shall be submitted, upon request, to FIFA’s
Disciplinary Committee for consideration and a formal decision.
4.
The final costs of the proceedings in the amount of CHF 5,000 are to be paid by the
Respondent, w ithin 30 day s of notification of the present decision to FIFA to the following
bank account with reference to case no. XXX:
UBS Zurich
Account number 366.677.01U (FIFA Players’ Status)
Clearing number 230
IBAN: CH 27 0023 0230 3666 7701U
SWIFT: UBSWCHZH80A
5. The Claimant is directed to inform the Respondent immediately and directly of the account
number to which the remittance under point 2. is to be made and to notify the Single Judge
of the sub-committee of the DRC of every payment received.
*****
Note relating to the motiv ated decis ion (legal remedy):
According to art. 58 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, this decision may be appealed against before the
Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The statement of appeal must be sent to the CAS directly
within 21 days of receipt of notification of this decision and shall contain all the elements in
accordance with point 2 of the directives issued by the CAS, a copy of which we enclose hereto.
Within another 10 days following the expiry of the time limit for filing the statement of appeal,
the appellant shall file a brief stating the facts and legal arguments giving rise to the appeal with
the CAS (cf. point 4 of the directives).
The full address and contact numbers of the CAS are the following:
Court of Arbitration for Sport
Avenue de Beaumont 2
1012 Lausanne
Switzerland
Tel: +41 21 613 50 00
Fax: +41 21 613 50 01
e-mail: [email protected]
www.tas-cas.org
For the Single Judge of the
sub-committee of the DRC:
Omar Ongaro
Football Regulatory Director
Encl.: CAS directives
Training compensation in connection with the Player E
(Club A, Country B / Club C, Country D)
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