Back in July of this year we posted a piece on how the local football administrators and the FFA – if they were truly involved – were in breach of FIFA regulations allowing a full time professional player, something that does not exist, dual registration. (No Two Ways About It). It would appear that once again in Western Australia they have failed to understand the rules that govern the game.
According to the FIFA Regulations on the status and Transfer of players:
“A player must be registered at an association to play for a club as either a professional or an amateur in accordance with the provisions of article 2. Only registered players are eligible to participate in organised football. By the act of registering, a player agrees to abide by the statutes and regulations of FIFA, the confederations and the associations.”
The key issue is that this covers professional or amateur players. The regulations go on to state:
“Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs. As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided he has fully complied with his contractual obligations towards his previous clubs.”
That being the case David Onoforo’s recent appearances for Perth are in breach of the FIFA Regulations as he started the home and away season with Cockburn before moving to Bayswater City where he played a game for their reserves in June before returning to the club he served so well for many years, Perth SC.
Questions have also been asked about Adrian Caceres who is now playing for Bayswater City. He started the season playing in the Night Series for Perth and played against Subiaco, before joining Floreat Athena. He then left Floreat after the transfer deadline after being given special dispensation, to join Bayswater. However, Not The Footy Show believes that like many players who represent teams in the Night Series, Caceres was not in fact registered by Perth, so has not in fact officially played with three clubs.
This issue popped up in the Hyundai A League in 2006 when Damien Mori found himself playing for Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners and the then Queensland Roar before it was pointed out that this was not actually allowed. One has to therefore wonder how a similar mistake can be made again and how the competitions manager is not aware of such regulations. Surely as happened with Ndumba Makeche playing for the NTC the governing body will not once again ignore FIFA rules?
One would think that legally any club who has played Perth since Onoforo’s return has grounds to lodge a complaint, as his playing is clearly in breach of FIFA regulations. Which could make the end of season rather interesting. The key point is that these sort of things should not be happening, and that is why FIFA have such rules and regulations in place.
This is unbelievable! First Makeche and now this, if this is not grounds for getting rid of the Competitions manager or the CEO what is? We have a bunch of incompetents running the game here and its time the board stepped down and we changed the structure and the management at Football West. If not the game has to unite and enforce change.
I am still in shock that such things can happen at the level below the A-League!!! Professional? You must be joking!
The correspondence between the CEO and the Players association is bad enough and I believe other people have threatening or abusive emails from staff at Football West, but this has to be the last straw. What more has to happen on this man’s watch?
Ian, I have t agree with you that i is astounding, but for years now players have not been registered during the Night Series, and many have changed clubs once their team has been knocked out.
These are basic rules that should be administered.
How can a player be representing a club in any competition let alone one that has prize money without being registered/signed to that club? Wouldn’t be allowed if it was a 12 year old. But this is the wild west and rules, they are only bits of paper.