Planet Swans ArchivesEdgar rejoined Swansea City on loan from Burnley on transfer deadline day but it appears now that the deal may not go through and he may have to return to his parent club.
FIFA rules state that moves between two countries are subject to international clearance and this applies for moves between Wales and England despite it being domestically as far as leagues are concerned.
A problem with using FIFAs new ‘seamless’ system at the Burnley end has meant the deal has not been matched and – as such – FIFA are refusing to sanction the move.
“It’s a disappointing situation for the player and the two clubs,” explained Swans chairman Huw Jenkins via the club’s official website. “Everyone, apart from Fifa, is happy that the loan transfer was satisfactorily completed before the deadline.
“We were told there was one decimal point out of place on Burnley’s paperwork, a meaningless decimal point, and it has been extremely frustrating ever since trying to get Fifa to approve the loan deal.
“As a football club we feel it’s an injustice that when we sign a player from a British club that plays in the same domestic league as us, then only ourselves and Cardiff City have to go through the process of getting international clearance.
“It used to be a fairly simple process between the two associations until Fifa came up with this new online system. It seems to have caused a lot of problems for a number of clubs.
“Despite the fact that both the Football League and FAW are happy to sanction the move, dealing with Fifa has been a nightmare. It’s been very hard to get any answers from them – and they are certainly not in any rush to get the matter resolved.
“David Edgar is now in his third week with us and he is still unable to participate in the squad. As a club we feel we can’t prolong this much longer and perhaps David may have to go back to Burnley where at least he can play football.”
