Fifa to tackle money laundering

Blatter described the expansion as a "historic moment for football"

Fifa has claimed it can help prevent criminals laundering money through football by expanding the use of the Transfer Matching System (TMS).

TMS requires both clubs in a player's move to enter verified details of the payments and parties involved online.

"TMS is a relatively simple online system but it will have a tremendous impact," said president Sepp Blatter.

The system began in 18 countries in February 2008 and will be compulsory around the world from October.

If clubs fail to enter the required details, the national associations will be unable to grant the paperwork needed to complete a deal.

More than 30 pieces of information - including details of the player, the clubs, the bank accounts and any payments made to previous clubs - must be supplied for each move.

A report from the Financial Action Task Force, an inter-governmental body set up to combat money laundering, in July 2009 stated that player transfers were one of the areas that made football vulnerable to financial criminals.

It cited a ruse involving an unnamed player whose signing-on fee was disguised as a payment to a foreign agent to avoid tax.

Fifa also hopes that TMS will reduce the number of transfers of under-age players.

"For a minor to be transferred, six to 12 documents have to be uploaded to prove a particular case, even for an amateur international transfer," said TMS general manager Mark Goddard.

"It must be stated whether the player's parents are moving for football reasons or not."

Over the past year, 921 transfer requests for under-18s had been received by Fifa of which 174 were turned down.

The international players' union FIFPro has called for a relaxation of the rules surrounding players' participation in the Champions League after a transfer.

A player who appears in a qualifying round of the competition for one club is unable to represent a different club in the competition in the same season under existing rules.

Milevskiy stayed put in Kiev rather than move to England

The possibility of ineligibility has caused some players who are close to moves to other clubs to be left out or decline to play in qualifying matches for their current employers.

FIFPro cited the case of striker Artem Milevskiy who was left out of Dynamo Kiev's Champions League qualifiers amid interest from Liverpool and Chelsea.

Neither side bought Milevskiy and, in his absence, his team lost to Ajax and dropped into the Europa League.

And FIFPro has argued that the Champions League preliminary round, which began on 29 June this season, has eaten into the summer transfer period to an extent that should force a change in the rules.

"The summer transfer period runs from July 1 to August 31, traditionally it is a period of preparation and practice matches, but that time is long gone," it said.

"Supporters, clubs and players are all losing out due to a measure which overshoots its aim."

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