Table of contents
Completeness
All minor applications are carefully reviewed and the supporting documentation is thoroughly analysed. Only once a minor application has been submitted in TMS can a decision be taken. Incomplete or insufficient documentation submitted in support of an application may lead to delays in the decision-making process. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that Member Associations provide the most complete set of applicable documents and upload them in the corresponding category.
Timeliness
The application process may take several weeks, despite every effort to keep it as short as possible. Timely preparation is therefore essential. Member Associations should submit applications well before the minor’s intended registration date and take the applicable registration periods into account when submitting applications to the Players’ Status Chamber (“PSC”).
The international transfer of a minor player must also be entered and confirmed in the “Transfers” tab of TMS during the new Member Association’s relevant registration period. If the PSC accepts the minor application, or if the new Member Association confirms in TMS that it wishes to register the amateur minor player based on the valid limited exemption, the ITC can be requested to proceed to the next stage.
Matching transfer with minor application
When entering the international transfer of a minor player, TMS attempts to match the transfer with the corresponding minor application based on the following information:
- Player: the same TMS player ID must be used in both records. Search carefully before creating a new player (see “Searching for players in TMS”).
- Former association: the former Member Association selected in the transfer instruction must match the former Member Association selected in the minor application.
- Club: the new club selected in the transfer instruction must be the same TMS club ID as the new club entered in the minor application.
- Player status: the player’s status with the new club (amateur or professional) must match.
TMS will allow an ITC request only if all fields match and the minor application has been approved. Otherwise, upon ITC request, the transfer status will change to “No corresponding minor application approved”.
To reduce the risk of a mismatch, Member Associations and clubs are encouraged to follow this order:
- Create the transfer instruction first and leave it in “Awaiting ITC request” status. Creating the transfer instruction first allows you to search for and confirm the correct player record in TMS before it is also used in the minor application.
- Create the minor application entering the same player, club and association details used in the transfer instruction, and submit it for review.
- Wait for the decision. Once the Players’ Status Chamber accepts the minor application, return to the transfer instruction and request the ITC.
Note: The transfer instruction and the minor application are two independent records in TMS. Confirming the transfer instruction without requesting the ITC does not create or reserve the minor application. Both records must still be created and must contain matching information.
Note: If the ITC related to the international transfer of a minor player is requested after the close of the registration period, the new Member Association can request FIFA’s intervention by selecting “Request intervention” in the relevant transfer. However, the late approval of a minor application does not, in itself, constitute grounds for initiating a transfer or requesting the ITC outside the registration period. The transfer may proceed only if an applicable exception permits it, the relevant validation exception has been overridden and the Players’ Status Chamber has approved the minor application.