According to the 2024 FIFA Global Transfer Report, Brazilian female players accounted for the highest spending on transfer fees, with a total of USD 1.9 million. They were followed by players from Zambia (USD 1.6 million), Sweden (USD 1.3 million), France (USD 0.9 million) and Spain (USD 0.7 million). Of the 131 nationalities involved in all transfers, 45 of these nations had at least one player transferred for a fee.
Last year, Racheal Kundananji’s $785,000 transfer from Madrid CFF to Bay FC set a world record in women’s football, which was only broken last month by Naomi Girma, who secured a $1.1 million transfer deal to leave the San Diego Wave and join Chelsea F.C.
Reigning CAF African Female Footballer of the Year award winner, Barbra Banda’s $740,000 transfer from Shanghai Shengli to Orlando Pride was also the second highest but now ranked third.
However, Kundananji’s former Zambian club, Indeni Roses has yet to receive solidarity contribution from the total transfer fees.
What is the solidarity contribution?
According to FIFA’s regulations on the status and transfer of players in the October 2022 edition, “If a professional moves during the course of a contract, 5% of any compensation paid within the scope of this transfer, excluding training compensation paid to his former club, shall be deducted from the total amount of this compensation and distributed by the new club as a solidarity contribution to the club(s) involved in his/her training and education over the years.”
The clubs in which the players were registered between the ages of 12 and 23 will share the 5% solidarity contribution.
To calculate the amount of the solidarity contribution for each club, it will be in accordance with the player’s career history as provided in the player’s passport.
For Kundananji, the 5% of her transfer fee is about $39,250, meaning that Indeni Roses is supposed to receive 10% of that amount, which is about $3,925, while it’s unclear how long she spent at Konkola Queens, where she began her career, or whether she was registered with the Football Association of Zambia before moving to Ndola.
Biik Kazygurt and SD Eibar are also supposed to receive a 10% share of the 5% transfer fee, as Kundananji was under the age of 23 when she played for the two clubs.
Similarly, Banda’s former clubs, Green Buffaloes and Logroño in Spain, where she played for over one year before turning 23, will receive a 10% share of $37,000, which is around $3,700 each.
Banda also played for BUSA before joining Bufalloes. But it is unclear whether she was registered with FAZ while at the Lusaka-based club.
When are the clubs supposed to receive the solidarity contribution?
FIFA requires the new club to pay a solidarity contribution to the training club(s) within 30 days of the player’s registration, or 30 days after any contingent payments are made.
FIFA also says an association, which in this case is FAZ, is entitled to receive the proportion of the solidarity contribution, which in principle would be due to one of its affiliated clubs, if it can provide evidence that the club in question, which was involved in the professional’s training and education, has in the meantime ceased to participate in organized football and/or no longer exists due to, in particular, bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution, or loss of affiliation.
“This solidarity contribution will be used to support youth football development programmes in the relevant association(s),” reads the FIFA regulations.
If clubs fail to comply with the aforementioned obligations, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose disciplinary measures.
However, when reached for comment, Indeni Roses confirmed to BolaNews that they have not benefitted anything from Kundananji’s transfer as their attempt to claim their share through FIFA Clearing House-SAS was unsuccessful.
“We have not benefitted anything yet. FAZ guided us on how to claim our share but the FIFA Clearing House-SAS system seems not to be working. So we have not received anything up to now,” Indeni Roses Secretary General Mlinga Muyunda told BolaNews.
Indeni tried to claim their share in October 2024 but the attempt failed. Muyunda said FAZ has advised them to continue trying.
Meanwhile, an effort to get a comment from FIFA was unsuccessful by the time of this publication.
