A legal guide to solidarity payments in football under the FIFA Regulations

Article 21 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (“RSTP”)¹ is entitled “Solidarity mechanism” and provides as follows:

“If a professional is transferred before the expiry of his contract, any club that has contributed to his education and training shall receive a proportion of the compensation paid to his former club (solidarity contribution). The provisions concerning solidarity contributions are set out in Annexe 5 of these regulations.”

Solidarity payments will only be payable if:

1. Upon the international transfer of a player between professional clubs; and,
2. A player is transferred for a fee, between clubs belonging to different national associations, prior to the expiry of his employment contract. 

Solidarity payments will be a maximum of 5% of the agreed transfer compensation. 

This guide provides answers to following question regarding Solidarity payments:

• What solidarity payment(s) are payable, and to whom?
• What is the process for making the relevant payment(s)?
• What if a player is signed on loan?
• What happens if a player’s training history cannot fully be ascertained?
• Timeframe for making solidarity payments
• Disputes regarding solidarity payments

This article is based on a previous article by the author 'A guide to training compensation and solidarity payments in football'.