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Scottish national defender Andy Webster's transfer from Edinburgh to became historic - FIFA granted the player the right to move to an English club, confirming that he could terminate his contract with the Scottish club controlled by Vladimir Romanov earlier.
The 24-year-old player took advantage of a loophole in the laws adopted by FIFA from the European Union and, according to article 17 of the rules regulating player transfers, terminated his contract with Hearts and took the opportunity to move to a foreign club.
"I feel relieved that this matter is almost over. It took hours of negotiations for Andrew to become a player for this club, but I am convinced that all the hard work will pay off when the fans see him playing," said Wigan head coach Paul Jewell.
"I am pleased that permission was granted to me and now I can't wait to debut in the English Premier League, of course when chosen by the coach," satisfied with finally settled matters, A. Webster said.
Webster's move to Wigan could set a legal precedent and influence the transfer process. However, it should not be as significant as in the Bosman case of the past decade, when a player from Belgium won the right in court to leave the club as a free agent without any transfer fee after the contract expired.
A. Webster took advantage of FIFA's opportunity for players in the third year of their four-year contracts to move to a foreign team, with the former club receiving only a small compensation. To take advantage of the rule, the player had to submit an application no later than 15 days after the end of the season.
Last season, the defender declined to extend his contract with Hearts and was removed from the starting lineup, not playing for the team since April. Deciding to leave the team, the player submitted the mentioned application at the end of the season and refused to attend the preseason camp in Austria.
In the battle for A. Webster's services, the Wigan club won, registering the transfer a month ago, but had to wait for FIFA's approval. Further consideration of the case will decide on the transfer fee, but according to the rule, Hearts will receive only the player's annual salary as compensation, not the £2 million that the Edinburgh club wanted.
