FIFA Clearing House
Electronic Player Passports (EPPs)
International transactions which trigger Training Compensation and/or Solidarity will automatically generate an EPP in FIFA TMS. An EPP is the first formal step in identifying the clubs you may owe training rewards to, as well as the amounts owed. It will also inform you if your club is due training rewards – in order to either claim or waive your rights to these training rewards, you will need to take action in FIFA TMS.
Clubs must ensure they are aware of all EPPs they have been identified in and take appropriate action when required – do not ignore any correspondence from FIFA TMS, FIFA Clearing House or the FIFA Legal Portal, as failure to act within the timeframes set may lead to sanctions.
We are advising all clubs at Steps 1-4 who are not already users of FIFA TMS, to identify and set up a club user, in order to conduct the necessary activity relating to EPPs.
Waivers
If any club identified in an EPP waives its right to training rewards (meaning they choose not to receive any monies which they may be owed under FIFA Regulations by virtue of having trained a player), the waiver must be uploaded by the registering club (i.e. the club who is liable for paying the compensation). FIFA will only accept clubs explicitly stating they will not be claiming training rewards in relation to the relevant transaction as being a waiver.
Clubs may wish to obtain waivers from players’ former club(s) as part of their due diligence at the time of signing, in order to avoid liability for Training Compensation and/or Solidarity.
Conversely, other clubs may contact you asking you to sign a waiver in respect of a player formerly registered with your club, in order that they can register the player without incurring the added costs of paying Training Compensation and/or Solidarity. However please note that you are under no obligation to waive your rights to compensation, if asked.
Onboarding Process
Once the EPP has been generated and clubs or National Associations have verified their involvement in that particular player’s registration history (and therefore, entitlement to training rewards), FIFA will generate an Allocation Statement in FIFA TMS.
Should your club be identified in an ‘Allocation Statement’ as a result of an EPP, meaning that you are due to either pay or receive training rewards, you must complete the Onboarding Process once you are invited to do so by FIFA via email. The Onboarding Process must be completed each time you are notified. Failure to complete the Onboarding Process may lead to sanctions by FIFA. Once an Allocation Statement has been generated by FIFA, it is too late for an EPP to be amended, for waivers to be uploaded relieving you of the obligation to pay training rewards, or for a club to relinquish its rights to training rewards – at this point, the Onboarding Process must be actioned, and the payment process completed.
Summary
We are seeing more and more cases of clubs being sanctioned for not conducting the necessary administration in relation to the discharging of training rewards. If you receive correspondence which you do not understand, or need guidance on what steps to take, please contact The FA as soon as possible and we will try to assist.
It is crucial that clubs do not ignore any notifications in TMS, or emails received from FIFA, FIFA TMS or the FIFA Clearing House. You must take prompt action in order to avoid sanctions, and if sanctions are raised then swift action will avoid further sanctions, which will usually include financial penalties as well as domestic and international registration bans. Correspondence will generally come from one of the following email addresses: