Cardiff City: Championship club's EFL transfer embargo cut by one window
- Published
Former Fenerbahce boss Erol Bulut is to work in British football for the first time after agreeing to succeed Sabri Lamouchi as Cardiff manager
Cardiff City will be allowed to pay fees for players in the January 2024 window after the length of their EFL transfer embargo was reduced.
Cardiff were placed under an EFL embargo because they defaulted on payment of the transfer fee for the late Emiliano Sala.
The embargo had been due to run until summer 2024, but has now been cut by one window.
Cardiff said they were "extremely pleased" with the decision.
The Championship club had challenged the EFL over the embargo, having seen a Fifa embargo lifted after paying the first instalment of the Sala transfer fee to Nantes.
The case was reviewed by an independent disciplinary commission which found that although Cardiff had been late with a transfer payment and should therefore be sanctioned, there were exceptional circumstances which needed to be considered.
Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman told Radio Wales Sport: "It hasn't been that difficult (to not pay fees) because we've been a football club in transition for the last 12 months.
"So it's been difficult to have a proper process in place in recruitment and strategy, so we've had plenty of time this time round... we're going through a thorough database and watch this space.
"The next few days is going to be quite exciting and Erol (new Cardiff manager Bulut) has his targets, we have our targets, we wouldn't do anything that both parties disagree with, we've been through that. I think we've got some talented players that could join us."
Sala died in a plane crash over the English Channel in January 2019 when travelling from France to join Cardiff.
The EFL had already partially lifted the embargo, which enabled Cardiff to sign free agents and loanees last January.
They will once again be limited to free transfers or loan signings this summer, but have been cleared to function normally in the transfer market come the mid-season window in 2023-24.
"The three-window fee restriction, previously in place, has been reduced to a two-window fee restriction," a Bluebirds statement said.
"Cardiff City Football Club has already served one window fee restriction in January 2023. It will therefore be eligible to pay fees once again for transfers during the January 2024 transfer window.
"The club's summer 2023 player recruitment plan has already been prepared for some time with this potential ruling in mind.
"Cardiff City Football Club are extremely pleased with this decision, which recognises the exceptional set of circumstances the club finds itself in."
The three-window embargo was initially imposed by Fifa, world football's governing body, because of Cardiff's refusal to pay the first tranche of the £15m transfer fee they had agreed with Nantes for Sala.
Cardiff lost their appeal against that ruling by Fifa. A three-man panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] heard the appeal in Lausanne in 2022.
The Welsh club claimed they were not liable for any of the fee because Sala was not officially their player when he died at the age of 28. A Swiss Federal Court is still considering an appeal against the CAS verdict.
EFL rules state that a club who default on a payment for a transfer fee will not be able to make a payment for a player registration until the end of the following season, though Cardiff have now paid the first instalment of the Sala fee, plus interest.
Cardiff are hoping new boss Bulut can inspire a significant improvement next season after they narrowly avoided relegation to League One last term.
They are yet to sign any players this summer.
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