Current regulation

"The second registration period shall normally occur in the middle of the season and may not exceed four weeks," explains FIFA's (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) regulations on the status and transfer of players. The document refers to the period of transfers more commonly called the "winter transfer window" in the various European leagues.

The winter transfer window, with an application range that corresponds, more or less, to the entire month of January in the major European leagues, was formally established by a framework agreement on international football transfers between FIFA and the European Commission on 05/03/2001. This agreement was adopted by the FIFA Executive Committee on 05/07/2001.

Even if the winter transfer window existed "unofficially" before 2001, it allowed some European clubs with exceptional means to recruit a new player to mitigate the injury of a player under contract. Since quantitative restrictions have been instituted, however, clubs must respect the regulations in force in their respective championships, and in the nationality of…