SFA wants 'jokers' to get round transfer window

The Scottish Football Association has lobbied Fifa to change the controversial transfer window system. An SFA working party has suggested the introduction of three "joker" transfers for each club while the transfer window is shut. The world governing body has also been asked to consider extending the summer window by an extra month, closing at the end of September instead of August.

The existing regulations came into force at the start of the season and have been condemned as too restrictive by a number of managers. Now the SFA is waiting to hear from Fifa whether the proposals have any chance of becoming reality by the start of next season.

The SFA player registrations officer Sandy Bryson said: "It was suggested that there should be an extension in the summer by a month, perhaps to the end of September.

"It was also suggested that there could be three 'joker' registrations per club during the closed window period. The only feedback we have had so far from Fifa was that it would be put before the player status committee, which was scheduled to meet on 21 February, but as we have not heard whether it was we have again written to Fifa."

The current system allows clubs to buy players during the close season up to 31 August and again during January, although out-of-contract players, who are effectively unemployed, are exempt from the restrictions.

Bryson revealed that the working party had not been overly critical of the current set-up. He said: "The working group was made up of representatives from all levels of football and a lot of people thought the window worked quite well in that clubs started off with X number of players and had to manage with that. The feeling among the Scottish Football League clubs seems to be that it presents operational difficulties but the Scottish Premier League clubs are fairly happy with it."

* The Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, has been awarded damages for defamatory statements made against him. Farah Addo, president of the Somali Football Federation, was banned from all activities in football in January, and has been ordered to pay Blatter 10,000 Swiss francs (£4,686) compensation and assume costs for the case at Court of Meilen in Switzerland. Addo said yesterday he would not pay.