Turkey allows football clubs to sign Ukrainian players temporarily

ISTANBUL

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has allowed Turkish football clubs to sign all Ukrainian and foreign players in Russia on a short-term contract.

In order to pave the way for and facilitate the transfer of those players, the TFF has made a change in a respective regulation, in line with a decision FIFA took earlier this month because of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

According to the TFF, Turkish football clubs, which are allowed to sign foreign players, will be able to transfer players who are registered with Ukrainian clubs and foreigners playing for Russian clubs for the 2021-2022 season until April 7.

“We finalized work conducted together with FIFA and UEFA and opened a window of opportunity for a short-term contract for those players,” said Nihat Özdemir, the head of the TFF.

On March 7, FIFA announced that following the escalation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it decided to temporarily amend the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP).

All employment contracts of foreign players and coaches with clubs affiliated with the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) will be deemed automatically suspended until the end of the season in Ukraine, June 30, without the need for any action from the parties to this effect, FIFA said.

Also, FIFA ruled that in order to facilitate the departure of foreign players and coaches from Russia, the foreign players and coaches will have the right to unilaterally suspend their employment contracts.

The suspension of a contract will mean that players and coaches will be considered “out of contract” until June 30 and will therefore be at liberty to sign a contract with another club without facing consequences of any kind, it said.

Turkey might offer refuge to Ukrainian artists, scientists and athletes, who are fleeing their country amid the war, Turkish Chief Ombudsman Şeref Malkoç said recently.