FIFA TMS announced that the Nigeria Football Federation is the first member association in Africa to implement the FIFA TMS Domestic Transfer Matching System. The Domestic Transfer Matching System online platform, which includes league access, will allow the NFF and the Nigerian Professional Football League to manage its international and domestic transfers via one system. It is modelled on the International Transfer Matching System, which is provided to 211 MAs and 6,500 clubs around the world for the cross-border transfer of players.
The system will provide the Nigeria Football Federation and its clubs throughout Nigeria the ability to manage national and international transfers on one platform, generate transfer activity reports and have greater monitoring levels to enhance transparency and governance. Additional MAs from the Confederation of African Football are expected to implement the Domestic Transfer Matching System later this year.
FIFA TMS developed the Domestic Transfer Matching System in response to demand from MAs and clubs for a domestic transfer system based on International Transfer Matching System.
FIFA’s Transfer Matching System
The International Transfer Matching System was developed following a two-year study commissioned by FIFA in 2005 to address concerns in the transfer market. Before ITMS, there was an absence of reliable data on the transfer market, which led to limited oversight on movements such as total transfer activity, monetary flows and the global transfer of minors.
FIFA TMS took on the substantial challenge of organising the international football transfer market by developing an online platform that introduced standardisation and enhanced transparency based on FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
International Transfer Matching System is a mandatory platform designed exclusively for Member Associations and their affiliated professional football clubs. Each Member Association and club assigns specific employees that are granted access to International Transfer Matching System in order to manage international transfers. They are referred to as TMS Managers or TMS Users. The TMS Manager or User must be trained, sign a confidentiality agreement and undergo a background check before being granted access to International Transfer Matching System.
International Transfer Matching System has revolutionised the way international football transfers are conducted. The fact that all 211 Member Associations across the globe and 6,500 professional clubs use the system for the international transfer of professional players sets it apart from all other systems in football.
FIFA TMS publishes compelling reports on the international football transfer market that provide unique, insightful information to football decision makers. The reports are published on an ongoing basis and assist football stakeholders in gaining greater visibility on the transfer market through official and reliable transfer information.
The Domestic Transfer Matching System is the national version of the International Transfer Matching System, which is used by over 211 MAs and 6,500 clubs for cross-border player transfers. The Dutch Football Association began using DTMS in 2014. Since then, the KNVB and its clubs have the ability to manage and monitor their domestic transfer activity, generate statistics and reports, speed up the transfer process and store required documents online, safely. As an extension of ITMS, the system allows the KNVB to access international and domestic transfers in one place.
DTMS is platform designed exclusively for Member Associations and their affiliated professional football clubs. Like ITMS, each Member Association and club assigns specific employees that are granted access to ITMS in order to manage their domestic transfers.
