Ascot United Football Club
A Charter Standard Community Club
Ascot United International Clearance 2016-2017 Version 1.0
Youth
Any player of any nationality, including British, over 10 years and under 18 years of age who was
previously resident in another country MUST obtain international clearance regardless of if they have
played football in another country.
The international clearance requirements do not apply if the player is under 10 years of age.
If a player is under 18 years then the requirements of FIFA Article 19 must be followed which for Ascot
United requires that the player’s parents move to the country in which the new club is located for
reasons not linked to football. This will require investigation by the FA and may require the player’s
parents to submit copies of passports, proof of residency, utility bills, bank statements and letters of
introduction and contracts of employment. This requirement applies even if the player has never played
football in another country.
Please note that Ascot United has no control over this procedure. Please see the highlighted sections at
the end of this document.
Adult
Any Adult player of any nationality, including British, who has ever registered or played football for a
club outside of England and including Wales, Scotland and NI MUST obtain International Clearance
before they can play for Ascot United.
If a player might have ever played aboard or is coming from aboard but says that they have not played
aboard then Ascot United must still obtain International Clearance or check International Clearance
even if the player states that clearance has been obtained.
Please note as follows
International Clearance can take many weeks to obtain depending on the foreign FA. After 28 days it
may be possible to get provisional clearance. The player can sign for Ascot United at any time but cannot
play in a FA sanctioned competition until International Clearance is received.
Please do not contact the FA regarding this matter as it must be dealt with by the club secretary.
Please do not hesitate to call Mark Gittoes if you require any help or assistance.
Ascot United International Clearance
Please complete electronically in Word and email to [email protected]
Please do not print out and use pen or scan. Please provide a scanned copy of the passport photo page
Player Full Name
Date of Birth
DD/MM/YYYY
Age when playing for foreign club (Youth only)
Age now (Youth only)
Place of Birth
Player Nationality
Date player moved to England
Reason for moving to England (i.e. was move related to
football?)
Address of player in England
Who is player living with in England. E.g. Parents/School
(Youth Only)
Address of Parents if different from above (Youth Only)
Foreign Country where signed or played football (including
Wales, Scotland and NI)
Foreign Clubs (Name, address, geographic location, start
dates, end dates)
Playing status abroad E.g. Amateur/Non-Amateur
Has player signed a contract or signed papers for any foreign
club (Please provide details).
Date of last match for foreign club
DD/MM/YYYY
All English clubs that the player has played for (Details and
dates)
Date player signed for Ascot United. Player can sign but
DD/MM/YYYY
cannot play until clearance is received.
Please explain when will player return to foreign country? Will
player play football on return to foreign country?
Other Observations
Please provide scanned photocopy of passport picture page.
Please email the completed Word file to me. Please do not print out and scan, please email the Word file
to me.
Mark Gittoes
Secretary
Ascot United FC
3 Dorset Vale, Warfield, Bracknell, Berks, RG42 3JL
01344 862184
07798 701995
[email protected]
Visit us at www.ascotunited.net
FIFA REGULATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS INVOLVING MINORS
Article 19 Protection of Minors
1.
International transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18.
2.
The following three exceptions to this rule apply:
a) The player’s parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons not
linked to football.
b) The transfer takes place within the territory of the European Union (EU) or European
Economic Area (EEA) and the player is aged between 16 and 18. In this case, the new club
must fulfil the following minimum obligations:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
It shall provide the player with an adequate football education and/or training in
line with the highest national standards.
It shall guarantee the player an academic and/or school and/or vocational education
and/or training, in addition to his football education and/or training, which will allow the player
to pursue a career other than football should he cease playing professional football.
It shall make all necessary arrangements to ensure that the player is looked after
in the best possible way (optimum living standards with a host family or in club
accommodation, appointment of a mentor at the club, etc.).
It shall, on registration of such a player, provide the relevant association with
proof that it is complying with the aforementioned obligations.
c) The player lives no further than 50km from a national border and the club with which the player wishes
to be registered in the neighbouring association is also within 50km of that border. The maximum
distance between the player’s domicile and the club’s headquarters shall be 100km. In such cases, the
player must continue to live at home and the two associations concerned must give their explicit
consent.
3.
The conditions of this article shall also apply to any player who has never previously been registered
with a club and is not a national of the country in which he wishes to be registered for the first time.
4.
Every international transfer according to paragraph 2 and every first registration according to
paragraph 3 is subject to the approval of the sub-committee appointed by the Players’ Status
Committee for that purpose. The application for approval shall be submitted by the association that
wishes to register the player. The former association shall be given the opportunity to submit
its position. The sub- committee’s approval shall be obtained prior to any request from an
association for an International Transfer Certificate and/or a first registration. Any violations of this
provision will be sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary
Code. In addition to the association that failed to apply to the sub-committee, sanctions may also
be imposed on the former association for issuing an International Transfer Certificate without the
approval of the sub-committee, as well as on the clubs that reached an agreement for the transfer of
a
minor.
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5.
The procedures for applying to the sub-committee for a first registration and an international transfer
of a minor are contained in Annexe 2 of these regulations.
International clearance is required for any player over the age of 10 who is seeking to register for a
club in England and has previously been registered for a club abroad (including the other Home
Associations), or who is a foreign national seeking to register for the first time in this country. If the
player is under the age of 18, they are subject to the provisions of FIFA Article 19 – please see
footnote. International clearance is applicable at all levels of the game.
It is the registering club’s responsibility to verify a player’s registration history in order to ascertain
whether international clearance may be required. Clubs and competitions operating near the borders
between England and Wales/Scotland need to be particularly cautious - a player can only play
football in one country (subject to international clearance) and cannot play football in two countries on
different days, under any circumstances.
A player cannot themselves obtain international clearance; the club with which they intend to
register in England must submit a completed international clearance request form to The FA, along
with a copy of the player’s passport (photo page) or national identity card. This assists the other
Association in identifying the player in their records. Forms should be emailed to
[email protected].
Once a request is submitted to us, we will send a formal request to the relevant National
Association for the player’s International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The Association will conduct
checks in relation to the player, including checking with his former club (if he was previously
registered in that country) whether he is free to register for a club in England, has fulfilled all
outstanding obligations and has any outstanding suspensions.
In accordance with FIFA Regulations, National Associations have up to a maximum of 30 days in which
to issue the ITC. If The FA receives no response after 30 days from the date of our request, we are
able to issue a provisional clearance which enables the player to register and play for the club. All
requests made by clubs will be acknowledged by the Player Status department. As soon as any
correspondence is received from the other Association in relation to the player, or the ITC is issued, we
will contact the requesting club immediately, and therefore clubs are asked not to call to follow up on
their requests. Until international clearance has been confirmed by the Player Status department,
the player cannot register and play for a club. Once clearance is received, a player is able to register and
play for any club in England.
Players may train or play in ‘behind closed doors’ friendly matches without international clearance.
However, in these circumstances, the club should have the permission of the player’s former club and
confirmation that the player is not under suspension.
For players who are registering as a professional player, this process does not apply, and the ITC
request must be made through the FIFA TMS system. If this is the case, please contact the Player Status
department who will advise you.
FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players are published on The FA website.
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Guidance Notes – International Clearance
Non-EU players
All Clubs are advised to satisfy themselves that all non-EU/EEA players have the necessary credentials to
take up offers of employment in England as part of normal procedural/personnel checks. We are
advised by the Home Office that any player who is in England on a Tier 4 (Student) visa is not able to
play in a professional or semi-professional environment under the terms of that visa. The FA considers
this to extend to clubs at Steps 1 – 4 of the National League System. Any Club found to have fielded
such players may be liable to a fine of £10,000 per player by the Home Office.
Please seek advice from the Home Office if you would like to clarify your eligibility as a Club to
register non EU/EEA players on this basis. Contact details can be found at this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.
International clearance for players under the age of 18
FIFA Regulations state that international transfers are only permitted if the player is over the
age of 18. The only exceptions to this rule available to amateur clubs are:
Where the player is moving to this country with his parents for reasons not linked to football,
v.
or
vi.
Where both the player’s residence and his new club are within 50km of a national border
(applicable to players moving from Wales/Scotland only).
The same principle applies to any player who is not a national of England and who wishes to register
for a club in England for the first time (i.e. he has not previously played football).
FIFA Article 19 states that FIFA’s approval is required for all such requests, however this authority is
delegated to The FA where the request involves an amateur player registering with a purely amateur
club. In this case, The FA is responsible for ensuring that the regulations are being observed and
therefore we require, as a minimum, the following information alongside submission by the
registering club of an international clearance request form:
•
•
•
The date on which the player moved to England
Who the player is currently residing with in England (e.g. their parents)
The reasons behind the move to England (e.g. to attend boarding school; due to parents’
employment, etc)
Based on this information, if the player’s circumstances comply with one of the exceptions listed
under FIFA Regulations, we will then advise you of the further documentation that we require in order
to process the application. This will usually include the following documents, depending on the exact
circumstances of the player:
6.
7.
8.
9.
Proof of employment [in England] of the player’s parents
Copy of the player’s passport (photo page) and birth certificate
Copies of the parents’ passports (photo page)
Current proof of residency, i.e. the player’s address in England
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If the player’s circumstances do not comply with one of these exceptions (for example he is
attending boarding school, participating in a student exchange programme or is otherwise in this
country without his parents), then we are unable to process the player’s clearance.
We are able to request special dispensation from FIFA to enable the player to be registered here,
although it should be noted that in our experience, such requests may be unsuccessful. To be able
to submit a case to FIFA for a decision, we will require further documentation and this will be advised
to the requesting club on receipt of an enquiry or application.
Due to the number of requests we receive and the amount of documentation we require from
the registering club (including additional information which may be requested by FIFA following an
application for special dispensation), clubs should be aware that this process can take time.
FIFA Article 19 is published on The FA website.
Visit us at www.ascotunited.net