From Article 19 RSTP to La Masia: The Legal Pathway of Chinese Minor Li Haoyan’s Registration in Spain

As scandals, sarcasm and disappointment have surrounded Chinese men’s football (people are quite happy about the results of female footballers), recently, news about a Chinese minor footballer got all football fans’ attention. The 14-year-old Chinese footballer Li Haoyan officially signed with Futbol Club Barcelona’s world-famous youth academy, La Masia. Suddenly, this kid is all over Chinese social media, attracting attention and expectations not only from football fans but from the general public. As a football lawyer, I am happy for him. Still, I am more interested in the legal pathway behind the scenes, given that FIFA has always been strict about registering foreign minors.

FIFA Article 19: International Transfers and First Registration of Minors

The General Rule

Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (FIFA RSTP) generally forbids international transfers/first registration of minors unless they fall under the exceptions. Historically, Article 19 contains narrow exceptions.

The most relevant exception in this case is that “Parents Move for Non-Football Reasons”. The player’s parents relocate to their destination country for reasons unrelated to football....

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