ZURICH / PR: FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) as well as Zambian clubs Zanaco FC, Power Dynamos FC and National Assembly FC for breaches relating to the international transfer of players.

The FAZ has been fined CHF 50,000 for transferring eight players – three professional players and five amateur players – without an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and outside registration periods. The three professional players were also transferred outside the FIFA TMS International Transfer Matching System (ITMS), the use of which is compulsory for international transfers of professional players.

The FAZ, in connection with the transfer of these eight players, was in breach of numerous provisions of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (the “Regulations”), specifically: arts 6, 8 and 9; art. 3.2 par. 1, art. 5.2 par. 2 and art. 8.2 par. 2 of Annexe 3; and art. 4 of Annexe 3a.

Zanaco FC has been fined CHF 20,000 for transferring a professional player without an ITC and outside ITMS, in breach of art. 2 par. 3, art. 3.1 par. 1, art. 8.1 par. 1 and art. 8.2 par. 1 of Annexe 3 of the Regulations.

Meanwhile, Power Dynamos FC and National Assembly FC have both been fined CHF 25,000 for transferring an amateur player without an ITC and outside registration periods, thereby breaching art. 4 of Annexe 3a of the Regulations. In reaching these decisions, the Disciplinary Committee took into account, amongst other information, the failure of both Power Dynamos FC and National Assembly FC to collaborate with the committee in the course of the proceedings.

The web-based ITMS system became mandatory for all international transfers of professional male players within the scope of eleven-a-side football in October 2010.

FIFA TMS, founded as a FIFA subsidiary in 2007, established a compliance programme in 2010 to ensure that all international transfers of professional football players are conducted through ITMS in accordance with the Regulations, and to control the integrity of club behaviour and data in ITMS.

Violations of the Regulations, in particular Annexe 3, are identified and investigated by the FIFA TMS Integrity and Compliance Department. Certain cases, where applicable, are then forwarded to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for decision.

The FIFA TMS Integrity & Compliance Department monitors transfer activity using internally-developed market intelligence, external sources and information received from the FIFA Players’ Status & Governance and Disciplinary & Governance departments.

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