FIFA eye huge transfer release clause change with players set for massive payday

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Release clauses could become standard in players' contracts with their clubs after FIFA came to an agreement with players' union FIFPRO to make a number of changes to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. The practice is already standard in Spain but is set to come into play across the Premier League and beyond from January 1, 2027.

Players and clubs will be required to include buyout figures within contracts that will release them from their agreement. Significant, possibly unattainable clauses are utilised in Spain to offer clubs more security, with Barcelona star Lamine Yamal having a release clause of 1bn euros (£840m) in his contract .

The change is one of a number that FIFA are looking to make after striking a landmark agreement with the global players' union that will see players represented in major decisions impacting the game. FIFPRO will have a veto over key areas of football's governance, with FIFA saying it has agreed the deal on the condition all legal proceedings against it by FIFPRO are withdrawn.

In October 2024, the union filed a claim against FIFA over the overcrowded match calendar. Earlier this week former France ace Lassana Diarra reached a settlement in his case against FIFA and the Belgian FA after he was denied a transfer to Charleroi in 2014, having seen his contract cancelled by Lokomotiv Moscow.

Players should be offered greater protection following the deal between FIFA and FIFPRO. Greater security will be in place to protect from abusive practices that include forcing them to train alone or withholding passports. Players will be permitted to cancel their contracts and still receive the payments they are due, claim compensation for expenses and even demand six months' extra pay in damages.

FIFPRO president Sergio Marchi said: "This agreement represents an important step forward for football. Ensuring that players and their representatives have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their careers is not only beneficial for footballers, but for the game as a whole."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was pleased to confirm the parties had come together and confirmed a memorandum had been signed. Speaking at the Azteca Stadium he said: "It's about unity, about bringing everyone together.

"We've always been having dialogues. Now, sometimes you don't agree, when you don't agree, well, you can go and say it to everyone, or you can sit down and discuss and see what makes sense. So, we signed a memorandum of understanding with FIFPRO, everything is agreed."

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The deal between the groups runs until December 2031 and formally recognises FIFPRO as the global union for professional players. The union will have a seat on the FIFA Council for the first time and player representatives on FIFA's legal committees.

A further change set to come into play next year will see players receive a cut of their transfer fee. This is already in place in Spain, and footballers who earn below €150,000 (£130,000) annually will have to receive 5% of their fixed transfer fee.

This right can be waived, but there remains a minimum criteria to be met. The percentage cannot be less than either the player's fixed salary for the final year of their contract or 2.5% of the total fixed transfer fee, whichever is greater.