Gambling loan (cession) in football: FIFA regulation and best practices
The player loan is one of the most used tools of professional football. It serves the club that gives in to give minutes to a player that has no place on its staff, to the club that receives to strengthen without paying a full transfer, and to the player to continue developing with competitive continuity.
But the loan is not an informal agreement. FIFA-regulated operation with strict rules on duration, numerical limits, documentation and consequences in case of early termination. Since July 2022, the RETJ has incorporated stricter provisions that transformed the transfer market — including a limit of 6 players loaned and 6 received on loan by club, and one maximum duration of 1 year.
In this article I explain everything you need to know about FIFA's regulation of professional player loan: requirements, documentation, limits, exceptions, and what happens when things go wrong.
- Those who may be loaned (professional only)
- The 3 mandatory documents of any loan
- Minimum and maximum duration: the rule of the year
- Limit of 6 loans: how it works, exemptions and limit between clubs
- Prohibition of sub-loan and permanent transfer
- What happens if the loan contract is terminated early
- Purchase options: how they are recorded in the TMS
- Loans and ban on registration of players
- Solidarity mechanism in loans with compensation
Fundamental rule: only professionals
Article 10 of the RETJ is clear: only the Professional players can be loaned. Fan players do not. This has a direct consequence in the TMS: any international loan must be recorded as that of a professional player, with employment contract and all the corresponding documentation.
If an amateur player needs to change clubs internationally, the operation is processed as a standard (permanent) transfer, not as a loan.
The 3 mandatory documents
Any international loan requires the formalisation of three documents (Article 10(1) RETJ):
Written agreement between clubs defining the terms of the assignment: duration, economic conditions (loan fee, salary distribution, etc.).The player can be part of this agreement.
The player and the new club sign a job contract covering the entire loan period. It should expressly reflect that the professional is loaned.
Transfer order in the TMS indicating "loan", with start and end dates, player data, payment conditions (if any), and all mandatory documentation of both clubs.
During the loan, the contractual obligations between the player and his club of origin are suspendedThis means that the home club does not pay the player wages during the loan (unless the loan contract says otherwise — something common when the home club covers part of the salary).
Duration: minimum and maximum
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum duration | Time equivalent between two registration periods |
| Maximum duration | 1 year. No longer than a longer term clause is recognized. |
| End date | It must be within one of the registration periods of the association of the club of origin (previous club) |
| Extension | Permited, within the limits of minimum and maximum duration, and with the written consent of the player |
In practice, most international loans last one season o half season. The maximum year rule significantly limits the long loan strategies that some clubs used for "park" players on other teams for extended periods.
The limit of 6 loans
From 1 July 2024 (after a transition period of 3 years), the following limitations apply (Articles 10, 6 and 8):
| Limit | Ceder | Receive |
|---|---|---|
| General limit | Maximum 6 staff members assigned | Maximum 6 Professionals received |
| Limit between two specific clubs | Maximum 3 to the same club | Maximum 3 of the same club |
The limit applies separately to players and players. That is, a club can have 6 players and 6 players loaned simultaneously. The same for those received.
The TMS acts as a compliance instrument: if a club tries to process a loan that exceeds the limit, the transfer stops with a validation exception.
Limit exemptions
General limit restrictions (6 players) not applicable if they are met Both conditions (art. 10, para. 7):
- The loan is produced before the end of the previous club season in which the professional fulfils 21 years; and
- The professional is a player formed by the previous club (RETJ definition 31: enrolled for 3 seasons or 36 months, continuous or not, between 15 and 21 years).
However, the limit between two specific clubs (3 players) applies regardless of age or whether the player was formed by the club (art. 10, para. 8) There is no exemption for this sublimit.
Prohibition of sub-loans
Article 10(1)(f) RETJ expressly prohibits the club receiving a loan from making a loan. sub-loan or permanent transfer from the player to a third club. If the loan does not work, the options are: that the player returns to the home club, or that a termination of the loan and a new agreement between all parties is negotiated.
What happens if the loan is cancelled in advance
This is one of the most complex scenarios of the loan system. RETJ Article 10, paragraph 4, regulates the consequences when the contract between the player and the new club is unilaterally terminated before the loan ends:
The professional has right to return You must immediately inform the previous club of the premature termination and inform them if you intend to return.
If the player decides to return, the home club must return him immediately. The original contract (which was suspended) is restored and the club must pay the player back from the date of reinstatement.
If the home club fails to reintegrate to the player, art. 17 (consequences of termination without just cause) applies. In addition, the home club is entitled to a minimum compensation equivalent to the salary to be paid to the player between the date of reinstatement and the original date of completion of the loan (art. 10, para. 5, c).
Example: An Argentine player is ceded by a Spanish club to a Turkish club until June 2026. In February 2026, the Turkish club terminates the contract without justifiable cause. The player informs the Spanish club that he wants to return. The Spanish club reintegrates him and resumes payment of his salary. The Spanish club can claim a minimum compensation = the salary to be paid to the player from February to June (4 months).
Options for purchase and conversion to permanent
The RETJ does not explicitly regulate "procurement options as a contractual clause, but the TMS provides for the operation of " Borrowing that becomes a permanent transfer" as a type of transfer order (art. 10, para. 2 (d) (iii) of Annex 3).
In practice, the option of purchase is agreed in the loan contract as a condition: if a certain event is fulfilled (amount of matches, competition classification, payment of a predetermined sum), the loan becomes automatically permanent transfer.
When the purchase option is executed, the receiving club must enter a new transfer order into the TMS linked to the original loan order. From that moment on, the player is permanently registered in the new club, and all rules of permanent transfers (including solidarity mechanism on compensation paid) apply.
Loans and ban on registration of players
If a club has one ban on registering new players, there are loan operations that not contravening the penalty (Article 25, paragraph 3 of the RETJ):
| Operation | Condition |
|---|---|
| Return of a loan | Only if the loan contract expires on a natural basis (not early termination) |
| Extension of a loan | After the natural maturity of the loan contract |
| Final recruitment of a transferred player | The player must have been temporarily enrolled in the fair club before of the prohibition |
These operations are also processed in the TMS and generate an initial validation exception. FIFA cancels it after verifying that the requirements are met.
Loan solidarity mechanism
Does a loan generate a solidarity mechanism? Only if there's compensation paid between clubs. If the loan includes a "fee loan" (a payment from the host club to the home club for the assignment), that amount enters the basis of calculation of the solidarity mechanism: 5% is retained and distributed among the player's training clubs.
If the loan is free of charge between clubs (only salary paid to the player), there is no basis for solidarity.
Compensation for training in loans
The compensation for training It can also be generated on an international loan from a player under 23 years of age (natural year of his 23rd birthday). According to Article 2, paragraph 1 (b) of Annex 4, the obligation arises in each international transfer of a professional before the age of 23, and the RETJ does not distinguish between permanent transfers and loans for this purpose.
Frequent errors in international loans
- Do not check the loan limit before trading. If your club already has 6 players loaned or received, the TMS will slow down the operation. Check before closing any deal.
- Take out a loan of more than 1 year. The clause is null and void, the TMS won't allow it.
- Trying to subloans. It is expressly prohibited. If the host club wants to "represent" the player to a third party, it cannot do so.
- Do not sign the temporary employment contract. The player and the new club must sign a contract covering the entire loan period. Without this contract, registration is not completed.
- Do not contemplate the early termination scenario. If the loan is cut ahead of time, the player can return to the home club, which must refund and remunerate it. If the loan contract does not provide for this situation, the consequences may be costly.
- Do not consider compensation for training. If the player is under 23, the international loan can generate a training obligation to previous clubs.
- To confuse exemption with total exemption. The exemption from the 6 limit (under 21 formed by the club) does not exempt from the 3 limit between two specific clubs.
Best practices for negotiating a loan
It clearly defines who pays the salary. The loan contract must specify whether the new club pays 100% of the salary, whether the home club covers a portion, or whether there is an additional loan fee.
Includes early termination clauses. It sets clear conditions for both parties (and the player) to know what happens if the loan is cut. Defines compensations and notice deadlines.
Negotiate the shopping option carefully. If you include a purchase option, define the amount, the conditions that activate it, the time frame for exercising it and whether it is mandatory or voluntary. This should be reflected in the TMS.
Check the transfer window of the home club. The date of completion of the loan must fall within a period of registration of the association of the home club. Plan ahead.
Communicate all terms to the player. Although the player may not be part of the loan contract, he needs to know the conditions: duration, who pays him, what happens if he is terminated, if there is a purchase option. Transparency prevents conflicts.
Related articles
Explore the Guide to contracts and transfers to expand this information with resources on windows, contract termination and training rights.
- What is football sports law: introductory guide
- RETJ explained article by article
- How the international transfer system works
- Player contracts: structure, clauses and common errors
- Termination of contract without just cause: consequences and penalties
- FIFA training rights: what they are, how they are calculated and how to claim them
- FIFA Solidarity Mechanism: Complete guide with examples
This guide is based on the RETJ July 2025 edition and the FIFA International Player Transfer Guide (July 2024). This guidance is informative and does not replace the advice of a sports law lawyer.
If you're building your career in professional football, create your free profile on Football CV.