Infantino hopes to clean up transfers

FIFA president Giannio Infantino has suggested that the "strange” transfer system in modern soccer is in need of a clean up and hopes to implement a number of changes to the current setup.

Speaking to Reuters, the 46-year-old former lawyer stated that the publishing of agents' fees would help clear up the mystery behind the huge amounts of money circulating throughout European leagues.

"Whether it's true or not, the perception often is that there is something strange happening with these transfers," said Infantino. "It is important if you move a few billion dollars in one or two months, you must make sure that everything happens in a clean way."

Since an agreement with the European Commission in 2001, FIFA has been responsible for policing transfers between clubs across dozens of leagues yet the president believes the old model is outdated and in need of changing.

"After 15 years it is time to seriously revise it and bring it a little more transparency and a little more clarity," he said.

Tackling the big clubs and big squads

As the man tasked with not only cleaning up the modern game but also the very organization he leads, Infantino firmly pointed the finger at some of Europe's biggest clubs and the manner in which they "hoard” young, professional players.

With millions to burn, clubs like English Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea have taken to signing young starlets only to then loan them out to clubs around England or the continent until they're ready for first-team action.

Infantino hopes to challenge this practice directly with squad caps to limit the amount of players any one club can own. He said: "It doesn't feel right for a club to just hoard the best young players and then to park them left and right, it's not good for the development of the player, it's not good for the club itself. I fully share that view, we have to work on squad size limits."

Disciplinary action for misbehaving fans

Away from the domestic game, Infantino was also very blunt with regards to the increase in crowd trouble in international football. The president was adamant that FIFA would not hesitate to send teams home from the World Cup in 2018 should fans behave as Russia supporters did in France at June's European Championship.

"Unfortunately hooliganism around matches and stadiums has not stopped," he said. "We take this very seriously. It is a concern, and we will certainly not hesitate to take measures, strict measures, including excluding teams from a competition if it turns out that teams need to be excluded."  

His comments come off the back of confirmation from the world governing body that a number of federations would be facing fines for trouble at World Cup qualifying matches in the past few months.

Albania, Kosovo, Croatia, Estonia, Ukraine, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Iran were just some of the federations forced to pay fines between 15,000 to 50,000 Swiss Francs (20,500-51,300 US dollars) due to crowd trouble that included "discriminatory and severe unsporting conduct of spectators as well as religious manifestations” according to FIFA.