Table of contents
Introduction
The FIFA ID is the worldwide unique identifier given by the FIFA Connect System (FIFA Connect ID) to each club, Member Association and player.
Member Associations must assign each player a FIFA ID when the player is first registered in its electronic player registration system. Only electronically registered players identified with a FIFA ID are eligible to participate in organised football.
The FIFA ID registered in the system of the Member Association must also be reflected in the TMS profile of the player.
As part of the FIFA Connect ID-TMS integration process, TMS will try to assign a FIFA ID to all players in TMS as soon as they are involved in a transfer. In the process of assigning the FIFA ID to the player, one of three scenarios applies:
- Exact match: the player details in TMS exactly match the player data in FIFA Connect ID. In this case, the relevant FIFA ID is automatically assigned to the player in TMS.
- Possible duplicate(s): the player details in TMS closely match player data in FIFA Connect ID. In this case, the relevant Member Association must assign the FIFA ID to the player by resolving the player duplicates in TMS.
- No match: the player’s details in TMS do not match any player data in FIFA Connect ID. In this case, the player is created in Connect ID with a new FIFA ID, which is automatically assigned to the player in TMS.
Resolving player duplicates
When TMS identifies potential FIFA Connect ID matches for a player created in TMS without a FIFA ID, it flags the case for review in the player deduplication tab of the Member Association Task Manager. As these players are involved in transfers, the new association will also be prompted to resolve the player duplication before it can confirm receipt of the ITC.
These duplicates need to be resolved by searching across the FIFA Connect ID service, which keeps a central record of the current registration of all players with an assigned FIFA ID, and completing one of the following:
- Selecting an existing duplicate found via Connect ID and merging the duplicate entries for the player; or
- manually entering the player’s FIFA ID.
It is essential to enter the correct FIFA ID for the player in the player de-duplication section. Entering an incorrect FIFA ID can result in incorrect player data in TMS or incorrect player merges that are difficult and time-consuming to reverse. If you are unsure which player you are reviewing or you have several players with similar names in your National Registration System (NRS), check the player’s TMS transactions, nationality and the spelling of their last name and any additional names, then cross-reference this information with your NRS to find the player’s correct FIFA ID.
Option A: Selecting an existing duplicate found via Connect ID and merging the duplicate entries for the player
If there are one or more matches, each result will be assigned a similarity score, i.e. a value between 0% and 100% that indicates how similar two records are based on first name, last name, and date of birth. The results will be displayed in descending order of this score so that the most similar player profile appears first. The results are also sorted based on the creation date of the FIFA ID with the oldest record appearing first.
Fields that differ between the two records will be highlighted in yellow.
If you are unsure whether a Connect ID match is the player you are searching for, contact the Member Association that currently controls the data of the FIFA ID, i.e. the data owner.
Note: The Member Association that controls the data of the FIFA ID is not necessarily the Member Association where the player was most recently registered.
If the possible duplicate is the same player, click “Assign this FIFA ID to the player in TMS” to merge the duplicate entries for the player.
Once the FIFA ID is added, TMS will automatically import the player's details (name, date of birth, sex and nationality) from the electronic player registration system of the data owner. Imported information will override any existing data in TMS.
Option B: Manually entering the player’s FIFA ID
If the details of the possible duplicate player are not currently available in TMS or if the Member Association knows the player’s FIFA ID and it does not appear in the possible duplicates list, users should manually enter the player’s FIFA ID by clicking “Assign FIFA ID”.
Only existing FIFA IDs may be added to the player details. If the former Member Association has not created a FIFA ID for the player, it should do so in its electronic player registration system before assigning it to the player in TMS.