FIFA struck a deal which it hopes will lead to world players' union FIFPro "withdrawing a legal complaint against the transfer system" at the European Commission, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. FIFPro, however, said that it was "premature to talk about dropping the complaint" which it lodged in '15 and argued that the transfer system was "anti-competitive and illegal." FIFA's stakeholders' committee said after a meeting on Thursday that it "reached an agreement which would make it easier for players" to leave their clubs "if they were not being paid on time." FIFA stakeholders' committee head Victor Montagliani, the president of CONCACAF, said, "It was an issue that was stewing for a long, long time and they couldn't come to an agreement, but because of our impetus they've reached one. We all like to get paid. ... It's an employment labor issue and to me that's very important" (REUTERS, 10/19).
ADAPTING TO THE TIMES: REUTERS reported FIFA is "considering an overhaul of the rules which govern players' eligibility for national teams," including a proposal which would allow them to "switch allegiance in certain circumstances." Montagliani said that there were "issues regarding the rules," which are aimed at preventing players from switching between national teams or representing countries "they have no connection with." He said, "There are so many issues that have popped up over the years because the world is changing, immigration is changing." At present, players who have played a competitive int'l for one team "cannot switch to another national side even when they hold dual nationality" (REUTERS, 10/19).
