Expiring contracts should be extended to cover delayed season, reveals leaked Fifa document

Manchester City midfielder David Silva is among the high-profile footballers whose contracts are set to expire at the end of June. EPA

Players and staff who are in the final months of their contracts should have those contracts extended until the end of the delayed football seasons, according to an internal Fifa document seen by Reuters.

The confidential document also recommends allowing transfer windows to be changed in accordance with new season dates and urges clubs and players to work together to find solutions to salary payments during stoppages.

The document is due to be discussed by members of Fifa's Working Group later on Thursday. No decision on the issues has yet been taken by Fifa.

Fifa set up the working group on March 18 and said in a statement that it will "assess the need for amendments or temporary dispensations to the Fifa Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players’ to protect contracts for both players and clubs and adjusting player registration periods.

"This work has already started and will be conducted in consultation with all key stakeholders, including confederations, member associations, clubs, leagues and players."

Most domestic and international football competitions around the world have been suspended due to the pandemic and national team tournaments such as the European Championships and Copa America have been postponed.

While domestic leagues are hoping to resume when the threat from the virus has receded, concrete start dates have yet to be fixed. That leaves the issue of expiring player contracts, which are usually timed to finish at the end of a given season, as a potential headache.

The key suggestion to the working group in the document is that "where an agreement is due to expire at the original end date of a season, such expiry be extended until the new end date of the season".

The same approach would apply to deals for next season, with their start date delayed in accordance with the shifting calendar.

The risk of some domestic divisions starting and finishing earlier or some national leagues having a different start date to other countries is also tackled in the document.

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Premier League players on expiring contracts

David Silva (Age 34), Manchester City. Season stats: 28 appearances, three goals, eight assists. The Spanish playmaker's memorable decade in Manchester is coming to an end this summer, with him seeking to add a third FA Cup and possibly a first Champions League title to his 11 major trophies with the club - could his ride into the sunset be delayed? AP Photo

Olivier Giroud (33), Chelsea. Season stats: 13 appearances, three goals. Sidelined by the early-season form of Tammy Abraham, the veteran France striker has deputised effectively as the young Englishman has struggled with injury in 2020. Scored in Premier League wins over Tottenham and Everton and the Uefa Super Cup against Liverpool. EPA

Willian (31), Chelsea. Season stats: 37 appearances, seven goals, six assists. The Brazil winger remains a key man in a largely inexperienced squad under Frank Lampard and his influence would be sorely missed should any end-of-season complications arise. Fellow winger Pedro may be less of a priority but should both be left in limbo, the need to get Christian Pulisic back to full fitness will become more acute. Is reported to be a target for London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. PA

Jan Vertonghen (32), Tottenham. Season stats: 26 appearances, two goals, four clean sheets. Toby Alderweireld re-signed in January but his fellow Belgium defender is yet to follow. Scored a late winner against Wolves in the league and also netted in the FA Cup exit to Norwich, while he reached 300 games for the club on Boxing Day against Brighton. Rising defensive star Japhet Tanganga's own expiring deal features an optional extension which the club are sure to trigger. Reuters

Matty Longstaff (19), Newcastle United. Season stats: 11 appearances, three goals. The teenager has made quite an impact after joining older brother Sean in the Magpies' midfield, scoring in both meetings with Manchester United - including on his Premier League debut - as well as the FA Cup win over Rochdale. Manager Steve Bruce last month said of the local boy's contract: "It's a concern for us - I hope we can get that tied up." Reuters

Ryan Fraser (26), Bournemouth. Season stats: 32 appearances, one goal, four assists. The Scotland winger has not enjoyed his most productive season but the Cherries will still be desperate to get a new deal sorted. Their relegation struggle provides a further layer of complication.

Claudio Bravo (36), Manchester City. Season stats:16 appearances, four clean sheets. The veteran goalkeeper was one of Pep Guardiola's first signings at the Etidad in 2016 but whose consistently erratic form saw him lose his place to Willy Caballero , temporarily, and then Ederson, permanently. The reserve keeper is a League Cup regular who played a key role in City's recent final victory at Wembley against Aston Villa. Has been linked with a move to City's sister club in the MLS, New York City. PA

Adam Lallana (31), Liverpool. Season stats: 22 appearances, one goal, two assists. The midfielder has returned from an injury-hit spell to make several contributions, notably scoring the late equaliser against Manchester United in October which extended Liverpool's unbeaten league run. Leicester City have been linked with a summer move for the player who has spent six years on Merseyside. Getty

Shane Long (33), Southampton. Season stats: 24 appearances, three goals, four assists. The Irish attacker looked to be heading for the exit after moving to the Saints in 2014. The hard working, if never prolific, striker has been a regular up front alongside top scorer Danny Ings of late and is thought to be close to earning a new deal. Getty

Andy Carroll (31), Newcastle. Season stats: 14 appearances, four assists. An all too familiar story for the former most expensive British player. Continues to be a real handful for defenders and is still popular with supporters, but injuries have once again decimated his playing time. He is on a a heavily incentivised contract in which his basic wage is inflated by appearance fees, so he has come relatively cheap for the Magpies this season, but needs games to secure a new deal. Reuters

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"In case of overlapping seasons and/or registration periods, and unless all parties agree otherwise, priority be given to the former club to complete their season with their original squad, in order to safeguard the integrity of a domestic league championship".

Transfer payments between clubs, scheduled around league start and end dates should also be delayed until the new start date of a season or its first registration period, the document states.

The working group will also examine the issue of clubs' responsibilities to pay their staff when leagues are suspended.

The document states that clubs, players and coaches should be encouraged to work together to agree on salary reductions and deferrals.

Yet they should consider the alternative, where possible, that agreements between clubs and employees are suspended when teams are not playing or training.

It is also recommended that Fifa use its newly-created 'Fund for Professional Players' to help ease any difficulties that clubs are facing.

Transfer windows, fixed around the end and start of the seasons, will also need to be adjusted to fit in with altered season dates and the document suggests such changes should be allowed, so long as they do not exceed the maximum 16-week period.