FIFA's Transfer Matching System Reports Sharp Rise In Recent Spending On Player Transfers

FIFA reported "the amount of money spent on football transfers has risen sharply in the past six months," although the number of deals has fallen slightly, according to Bill Wilson of the BBC. The number of transfers "fell by 2% in the first six months of 2013," but their total financial value soared by 39%. The total income from 5,204 transfers around the globe was £612M ($924M). FIFA's transfer unit said that "the increase could be down to some economies recovering." The top seller was Brazil and the biggest buyer was England. Transfer Matching System Head Kimberly Morris said that sales revenues were "trending up considerably," and had been helped by the improvement in some countries' economic fortunes. She added that the increase might also "be down to clubs becoming more accurate and diligent in the filing of financial information within the TMS system" (BBC, 7/12).