AFFA's "Lost" 980,000 Manats - RESEARCH

his week, the AFFA (Azerbaijan Football Federation) meeting approved new fees for foreign players.

Idman.biz reports that this new policy could generate significant revenue for the association while also increasing costs for certain clubs.

Under the new regulations, starting from the next season, each club must pay 5,000 manats for the first 7 foreign players, 10,000 manats for the next 5 foreign players, and 100,000 manats for the 13th to 15th foreign players. Any players beyond the 16th will cost the club 200,000 manats each.

However, like many of the Executive Committee's decisions, some details regarding the fee structure are still unclear, with more information expected in upcoming meetings.

Despite these uncertainties, let's consider the current situation. A glance at the clubs and the number of foreign players listed on the PFL's (Professional Football League) official website reveals the financial implications.

Had AFFA made this decision a month or two ago, and applied it to the current season instead of next, what would the outcome have been? Although such decisions are rarely made mid-season, let's assume this was possible and assess the potential costs for clubs.

Currently, Zira has the highest number of foreign players, with 14 in total. The club would have to pay 5,000 manats for 7 players, 10,000 manats for 5, and 100,000 manats for 2. This would generate 285,000 manats in revenue for AFFA.

The next club with foreign players exceeding 100,000 manats is Qarabag, which currently has 13 foreign players. The cost for them would be 185,000 manats.

Clubs with between 8 and 12 foreign players would pay 5,000 manats for the first 7 players and 10,000 manats for the rest. The club with the lowest costs would be Kapaz.

These numbers would increase if considering foreign players who were transferred during the winter or earlier in the season. But if we consider the situation as it stands, the current total fee across clubs would amount to 980,000 manats.

In other words, had AFFA’s decision been applied this winter instead of next summer, the association would lose nearly 1 million manats.

Much can change before the summer. However, some foreign players have multi-year contracts, and clubs may find it challenging to release players in time to avoid additional fees.

Club	Total Players	Foreign Players	Fee (thousand manats)
Zira	25	14	285
Qarabag	24	13	185
Sabah	24	12	85
Turan Tovuz	27	12	85
Neftchi	23	10	65
Araz-Nakhchivan	27	10	65
Sumgayit	23	9	55
Sabail	24	9	55
Shamakhi	22	9	55
Kapaz	24	8	45
Total	243	106	980