Turkish club Fenerbahçe cast a shadow over the transfer market after officially announcing on Tuesday the collapse of a major swap deal with Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad. The deal, which had been the talk of the sporting world, involved French star N'Golo Kanté and Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri, but it fell through at the last minute due to what the Turkish club described as "procedural errors" on the part of Al-Ittihad in FIFA's Transfer Matching System (TMS).
Background of the deal and the general context
This event comes amidst a historic summer transfer window for the Saudi League, which saw the attraction of major international names thanks to the immense financial power of clubs backed by the Public Investment Fund. Al-Ittihad was a pioneer in this regard, signing Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kanté, and Fabinho. The mere mention of Kanté, who recently joined Al-Ittihad, in a swap deal was surprising, adding an exceptional dimension to the transfer and increasing fan anticipation for its completion. It was widely expected that En-Nesyri, the top scorer for Sevilla and the Moroccan national team, would bolster Al-Ittihad's attacking prowess.
Details of Fenerbahce's statement
In its official statement, Fenerbahçe emphasized that it had completed all the necessary procedures with meticulous precision. The club explained that the process proceeded according to a well-defined plan, with a full agreement reached with the players based on the technical staff's recommendations. The players successfully passed their medical examinations, and all required approvals were obtained. The statement confirmed that the registration documents for the transfer were submitted correctly and completely through the TMS system within the legally mandated transfer window.
The Turkish club attributed the failure directly to the other party, stating: “The deal fell through due to the other club entering incorrect data into the TMS system, which prevented the completion of the procedures within the specified timeframe. This was beyond our control.” Fenerbahçe added that it had made strenuous efforts to salvage the situation, contacting FIFA to request an exceptional extension of the deadline, but the other party failed to complete the necessary procedures without providing any clear justification.
Importance and expected effects
The failure of this deal has significant repercussions on several levels. Domestically, it represents a blow to Fenerbahçe's plans to bolster its squad with high-caliber players, while simultaneously raising administrative questions about Al-Ittihad's ability to smoothly complete complex international transfers, especially given the intense global scrutiny of the Saudi league. Internationally, this situation highlights the critical importance of using the TMS system, which was designed to ensure transparency and prevent errors in transfer processes. This incident may also impact future negotiations between European and Saudi clubs, as it will likely increase the parties' vigilance in scrutinizing every procedural detail. The players' futures now remain uncertain until the winter transfer window, pending further clarification from Al-Ittihad in the coming days.
