FIFA Lurks Under the Bridge

Two weeks ago, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee punished two French clubs — Angers and Paris FC — for their roles in a so-called “bridge transfer.” This is a multi-step transaction where clubs arrange for the same player to be transferred twice, over a short time, so they can avoid some rule or regulation. While clubs have been doing this for years, FIFA did not ban the practice until 2020. The ruling against Angers and Paris marked the first…