Professional Football Strategy Council in Nyon

Transfer matters, third-party ownership and the calendar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup were discussed at the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC) meeting which was held at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, on Monday.

The PFSC, comprising representatives of the member associations (UEFA), the clubs (European Club Association), the leagues (Association of European Professional Football Leagues) and the players (FIFPro Section Europe), discussed various transfer matters. The body condemned the percentage of agent commissions on transfers and called for it to be regulated.

Representatives at the meeting reiterated their concerns about third-party ownership and supported UEFA's plan to ban the registration of players subject to third-party ownership arrangements from its competitions, if FIFA does not ban it on a worldwide scale.

In addition, the PFSC discussed the calendar for the 2022 World Cup and agreed that a decision on the date of the tournament will be taken once all stakeholders involved have been consulted.

UEFA President Michel Platini, together with the PFSC, expressed his disappointment that the so-called triple punishment – where a player who denies an opponent a clear goalscoring opportunity in the penalty area, concedes a penalty, is subsequently dismissed and, therefore, automatically suspended for a subsequent fixture – was not changed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at its recent annual general meeting.