FIFA Clearing House objection: player passport and payment allocation

An error in the electronic player passport (EPP) can change the later allocation of payments through the FIFA Clearing House. A club should therefore bring specific registration data into the EPP review process and support the requested correction with appropriate documents.

An objection initially concerns information or an allocation in the process. The payment obligation, the Allocation Statement and an appeal against a final decision are separate questions.

The January 2026 edition of the FIFA Clearing House Regulations distinguishes between the provisional EPP, the EPP review process, the FIFA determination and the subsequent payment procedure. This article explains the steps for clubs, member associations and players whose registration history is needed for the assessment.

The electronic player passport is an electronic document consolidating a player’s registration information. Under the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, it includes the relevant member association, the player’s status as amateur or professional, the type of registration and the clubs, including training category, with which the player has been registered since the calendar year of the player’s twelfth birthday.

The EPP provides a basis for calculating Training Rewards. It does not replace an assessment of the underlying entitlement. Registration information must be reliable, accurate and complete in the electronic systems of the member associations. Under Article 4 paragraph 8 of the Regulations, member associations are responsible for the registration information included in the final EPP.

The specific discrepancy matters. A club should state whether a period is missing, a club is assigned incorrectly, the training category is wrong or the player’s status or registration type has been recorded incorrectly. A general statement that the EPP is incomplete makes the requested correction harder to assess.

When TMS identifies a trigger for Training Rewards, it generates a provisional EPP. The provisional EPP is available for inspection by member associations and clubs for ten days after generation. The starting point should be recorded from the TMS notice and the date shown in the system.

A member association that is not listed may request inclusion in the EPP review process during the inspection period. A club that is not listed makes that request through its member association and provides the relevant registration information. The Regulations require the member association to act in good faith when responding to the club’s request.

The inspection period offers an early opportunity to correct the record. The club should support the missing period and its registration with a coherent set of documents. Player registration data, association confirmations, transfer documents and contracts should identify the same player and cover the same periods. Different spellings or club mergers should be explained directly.

After the inspection period, the FIFA general secretariat may open the EPP review process in TMS and invite the relevant member associations, clubs, the new club and other relevant parties. Under Article 9 paragraph 2, the review process lasts fifteen days as a rule. The FIFA general secretariat may exceptionally extend it.

Member associations may review registration information and request amendments. Under Article 9 paragraph 4, the relevant member association submits the request to amend registration information in TMS. The request should include a registration document issued by the member association, a relevant International Transfer Certificate where applicable and a relevant employment contract where applicable.

The Regulations also identify specific evidence for Training Compensation, waivers and contract offers. A former club may submit proof of an offer and its notification when that offer is required to retain an entitlement. The new club must support an alleged waiver with proof of a valid waiver. If the training club disputes the waiver, it may challenge its validity by written notice in TMS.

After the EPP review process, the FIFA general secretariat assesses the requests for amendment. If a request is unclear or incomplete, it may ask for further information within five days. If the information is not provided in time, the request may be disregarded. This period is separate from the fifteen-day review process.

Where the facts or law are complex, the FIFA general secretariat may refer the matter to the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Football Tribunal. The review process is then paused pending the decision. After the assessment, FIFA determines the registration information in the final EPP. TMS calculates the Allocation Statement on that basis, including the amounts for the training clubs.

The allocation depends on the relevant trigger. For Training Compensation, the Allocation Statement is generated after the EPP is final. For the Solidarity Mechanism, proof of each payment of transfer compensation is additionally required. Under the January 2026 Regulations, entitlements below EUR 100 or the equivalent in another currency are considered discarded and are not included in an Allocation Statement. This threshold is separate from the question whether an EPP entry is correct.

The notification of the final EPP and Allocation Statement is treated as a final decision of the FIFA general secretariat under Article 10 paragraph 5. The Regulations provide for an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes. The notice and the current Statutes must be checked for the applicable time limit and filing requirements.

If no timely appeal is filed, the EPP and Allocation Statement become final and binding. A valid and timely CAS appeal suspends the legal effects of the EPP and the corresponding Allocation Statement for the duration of the CAS proceedings. Disagreement with an amount therefore requires a specific and timely procedural response.

Article 18 paragraph 2 also provides a specific claim route for a club that did not take part in the relevant EPP review process. The club must, among other requirements, consider that a bridge transfer, an exchange of players or information declared by the new club or member association caused it to receive no Training Reward or a lower amount than calculated, or that an EPP review process should have taken place. The Dispute Resolution Chamber decides a claim against the relevant clubs under Article 27 of the Procedural Rules.

Once the new club and the training clubs have passed accreditation and the EPP and Allocation Statement are final and binding, the FIFA Clearing House issues a Request to Pay for the total amount. The Request to Pay is available in the Client Portal. An email notification to the recorded address may also establish the relevant time limit. The club must keep its TMS and Client Portal contact details current.

The new club must pay the requested amount to the FIFA Clearing House within thirty days. The full amount, including applicable bank fees, must be received. Payment must come from a bank account in the club’s name. If the amount is not paid in full by the deadline, Article 13 paragraph 4 provides for an administrative levy of 2.5 percent and a further seven days to pay the full amount including the levy.

After receipt of payment, the FIFA Clearing House generates a Distribution Statement. It identifies the purpose and source of each payment and is notified to the training clubs or made available through the Client Portal. Payment is made to the bank account registered in the name of each training club. An EPP objection and the technical payment process should therefore remain documented as separate issues.

Contacting the wrong party: A general message to the new club does not replace an amendment request in TMS. Under Article 9 paragraph 4, the relevant member association submits the request concerning registration information.

Challenging only the amount: A different amount does not show whether the registration period, the Training Reward or the payment evidence is wrong. The EPP, Allocation Statement and underlying records should be compared first.

Mixing the time limits: The ten-day inspection period, the fifteen-day review process, a possible five-day request for further information and the time limit for a CAS appeal have different starting points. The relevant notice and procedural step control.

Submitting incomplete evidence: An association registration document, an International Transfer Certificate and an employment contract prove different facts. The request should explain which document supports each disputed period.

Confusing player and club roles: The EPP concerns a player’s registration history and the allocation of Training Rewards between clubs. A player contract may help reconstruct the facts, but the player is not automatically the payment recipient or payer.

Can a club change a missing period in the EPP itself?
The relevant member association submits or amends registration information in TMS. The club should approach its association during the inspection period or the EPP review process with specific evidence.

How long is a provisional EPP available for inspection?
The FIFA Clearing House Regulations provide for an inspection period of ten days after the provisional EPP is generated. Keep the date shown in TMS and the related notice.

Is an Allocation Statement already a payment?
No. It allocates the amounts and parties. The process then includes accreditation, a Request to Pay, payment by the new club and a Distribution Statement.

What can be done if the payment allocation is wrong?
Compare the registration and entitlement data with the EPP, Allocation Statement and supporting documents. Depending on the stage, an amendment in the EPP review process or an appeal against the final decision may be relevant.

Can a club act after the EPP has become final?
This depends on participation in the EPP review process, the reason for the alleged error and the status of the final decision. Article 18 paragraph 2 may provide a claim route for a club that did not participate. Its requirements must be established with evidence.

First secure the notice concerning the provisional or final EPP, the Allocation Statement, the Request to Pay and every message from TMS or the Client Portal. Then prepare a chronology of registrations from the calendar year of the player’s twelfth birthday. Record the club, member association, status, registration type and period for each entry.

Assign the right evidence to each disputed point. Association confirmations and registration records may support the registration history. International Transfer Certificates, employment contracts, contract offers, waivers and proof of payment may be relevant to the entitlement and allocation. If FIFA requests further information, the response should reach the requested destination within the notified period.

For a case-specific assessment, you can describe the matter via the contact page. The page on transfers and club changes explains related registration questions. The article on jurisdiction in cross-border player contracts provides context for disputes involving several legal forums. Subscribe to BRANDaktuellen Rechtsnews for new articles and legal information from the firm.