The ‘Caceres Clause’ has come into question from teams and fans across the A-League about how newly formed Auckland FC were able to make a move for Alex Paulsen on a loan move from sister club AFC Bournemouth.
The rule was originally introduced in 2016 to prevent transfers and loans between related clubs after Manchester City was able to sign Anthony Caceres from the Central Coast Mariners and was immediately loaned out to Melbourne City.
However, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has released a statement on the A-Leagues website saying the rule will be reviewed before the upcoming season:
“The APL was approached by numerous clubs in May about the possibility of reviewing the ‘Caceres Clause’ due to the increased transfer market opportunity for clubs as well as changes in the broader club ownership structures in place since the inception of the player contract rule in 2016,” the statement read.
A review process was implemented to get feedback from all clubs about the rule change considering:
- If any guardrails would be required
- The league and club’s emphasis on youth development
- Improving overseas talent pathways
- Increasing opportunities for international player transfer and loan fees
From this, a player contracting rule change was supported by all clubs, with the premise that the APL reviews and maintains certain guardrails that balance the development of the league while ensuring competition integrity.
The update the APL provided also said:
- At the end of every season, the APL reviews the Player Contract Regulations and Competition Policies and Regulations in line with feedback from key stakeholders.
- Any rule change is subject to approval by Football Australia as part of the Player Contract Regulations and Competition Policies and Regulations with the APL that occurs ahead of each season.
General Manager of Wellington Phoenix, David Dome, replied to the news with a statement seeking further information about the rule change and Paulsen’s loan deal to Auckland FC.
“While the club in principle supports adapting the ‘Caceres Clause’ to allow Paulsen to return to the Isuzu UTE A-League for the 2024-25 season, it has a number of questions that have yet to be answered,” he said via a media release.
“Most importantly we don’t know what “player registration and salary cap treatment guardrails” will be in place that the APL say will “balance development of the A-League while ensuring competition integrity.
“We also note all player contract regulations and competition policies have yet to be approved by Football Australia.”
Paulsen’s pending move back home to Auckland raises many questions about not only the rule itself but also the landscape of how transfer and loan deals are done moving forward in the A-League.
Besides Auckland FC – Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory are all part of multi-club partnerships and if this move is approved, we may see these clubs make similar moves to gain a competitive advantage.
Football Australia has not announced if the rule has been officially changed at the time of writing which means Paulsen is still unable to be registered as an official Auckland FC player, despite the announcement.
It’s a matter of time until we see the final verdict on this saga, but it will be intriguing to see if the deal falls through because of the ‘Caceres Clause.’
