Fifa not open for Football League's emergency-loan deadline day

Liam Shephard and Souleymane Coulibaly were hoping to move to Yeovil and Newport respectively

We all know what deadline day is like. The mad scramble to get contracts signed and deals over the line in time.

Thursday was the final chance clubs in the Football League had to bring players in on an emergency loan deal this season, but that has coincided with an unfortunately timed closing period for Fifa.

The governing body's offices shut down at 11:00 GMT for the Easter period on Thursday because of the holiday season in Switzerland.

That has left some Football League sides in the lurch, as Fifa's international clearance is needed for players to move between clubs under the umbrellas of the England's Football Association and the Football Association of Wales.

That means the proposed loan moves of Peterborough's Souleymane Coulibaly to Newport and Swansea's Liam Shephard to Yeovil almost certainly will not go through until Fifa's offices next open on Tuesday - and both League Two clubs have two matches before then.

Yeovil said in a statement: "With today being the final day of the loan window, the club are very disappointed that the offices at Fifa closed early, causing problems for clubs ahead of a busy weekend of football."

And Yeovil manager Darren Way added: "Despite lodging the paperwork for the loan at 3:30pm yesterday (Wednesday 23 March) we are very disappointed that the clearance hasn't been granted in time for tomorrow's match."

Not only is it the final emergency loan of the season, Thursday marks the end of the window altogether, with Fifa scrapping it to protect the "sporting integrity of competitions".

At least there will not be anything like this ever again...

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