Provisional International Transfer Certificate (“ITC”)

Numerous players and clubs remain oblivious to the concept of a “provisional ITC”, and considering the deceitful and malicious conduct of many present-day clubs, particularly those in the smaller leagues, it is undoubtedly a crucial resource to possess at one’s disposal.

First of all, what is an ITC? 🤔

In accordance with Art. 9 of the FIFA RSTP, a player who is registered with one Member Association (“MA”)/Federation may only be registered at a new MA once the new MA has obtained an ITC from the previous MA. In simpler terms, a player currently playing for Asante Kotoko and registered with the Ghana Football Association (‘GFA”) can only transfer to Getafe CF upon being registered with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (“RSFF”).

An ITC is issued free of charge without any conditions or time limits, and is not required for players under the age of ten years.

In the case described earlier, Getafe CF would be required to initiate a transfer instruction on TMS. Once this has been completed and the player’s status as a legitimate player has been verified, RSFF will be informed through TMS that the transfer instruction is awaiting an ITC request. Upon receiving this notification, RSFF can use TMS to request that the GFA issue an ITC for the player.

In the event that the player was a professional at Kotoko, upon receiving the ITC request, the GFA will promptly reach out to Kotoko to confirm the status of the employment contract, whether it has expired or if there was a mutually agreed early termination. Within seven days of the ITC request, the GFA should either accept the request and issue the ITC or reject the request, giving valid reasons. In accordance with the guidelines set by FIFA, a rejection can only be issued if the player and the club still have a binding agreement in place and have not mutually decided to end it.

Sounds straightforward right? Sadly, there are instances when the previous MA fails to respond to the ITC request which is highly frustrating. This may be a consequence of a breakdown of the relationship between the player and the club. Fortunately, FIFA offers a contingency plan in the form of a Provisional ITC, serving as a safety net.

If the GFA fails to respond to the ITC request within seven days, the RSFF will be able to provisionally register the player with Getafe CF and enter the relevant player registration information in TMS. A provisional registration shall become permanent one year after the ITC request, unless the GFA gets in touch with a valid reason for not responding.

A player is not eligible to play for his new club until the process has been completed correctly.

Before taking any action based on the information in my articles, it is important to refer to the FIFA regulations. Consider my articles as a means of guidance ✌🏽.

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