FIFA: a record number of cases processed (9,785) by the Players' Status Department in 2020-21

"The FIFA Players' Status Department nevertheless received a total of 9,785 cases, applications and enquiries from 01/07/2020 to 30/06/2021, an all-time high," announced FIFA, which published its second report on the activities of the department (document available to download) on 05/10/2021.

"While international transfers decreased during that period, mainly owing to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this growth was especially driven by a strong increase in dispute resolution cases (3,986, +22.5%), while registration and eligibility cases decreased slightly (5,799, -7.7%) due to the reduction in the number of applications for the registration of minors (-32.7%)," explained FIFA.

According to FIFA's report, "another highlight of the 2020-21 season was the introduction of various important amendments to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and the Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players' Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber. These included:
• Temporary rules regarding the release of players to representative teams as a result of the Covid-19…