The union which represents the interests of professional footballers worldwide has today launched a legal action which could have a monumental impact on the future of the game.
Fifpro have held a press conference this morning where they have outlined the rationale behind filing an official complaint with the European Commission in Brussels. If the Bosman ruling heralded a seismic shift in the way players moved between teams then this latest action would effectively level the business of football transfers to the ground.
The player's union are contesting that transfer fees should be abolished with the ultimate aim of allowing players under contract easier movement between clubs.
The Guardian are reporting that, although the union are stressing that players still need to honour contracts, they are contesting that the current system is unfair in comparison to other industries where restrictions to movement are not as severe. There is also an anti-competitiveness aspect to the legal challenge with Fifpro claiming that the system has ballooned to allow only a small number of elite clubs to control and manipulate the market thanks to their seemingly endless reserves of cash.
While many fans will quickly be able to see the problems with the end of transfer fees, Fifpro's other proposal of scraping the loan system, a maximum squad size and an end to agent's fees may be a lot more palatable.
Ultimately it could take up to a year for the European Commission to make a final decision on this. And while an end to transfer fees may currently seem unlikely, it seems that one way or another, the football transfer system could be about to change significantly in the near future.
