English clubs, artful dodgers

The Premier League clubs have found a loophole, a chink in the FIFA regulations that arguably may handicap their development pathways but which has, at least for now, kept them at bay from the sanctions that Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have been hit with.

In England, the competitions for under-18s do not have official status. Foreign gems who flock over there do not sign professional terms before they turn 16 and do not play competitive football until they have come of age. "They just train and take part in friendlies against fellow academies. Once they are 18, they join up with the under-18 and under-21 teams, which can be a big leap", a coach from an English youth set-up confided.

The Premier League established the Elite Player Performance Plan a few years ago to modernise the country's academies, which have been split into four tiers. The top-ranked set-ups have privileges when it comes to signing players, enabling them to take advantage of the elimination of the so-called '90-minute rule', which prevented clubs from snapping up youngsters who lived more than an hour and a half's drive away. All the same, it is nigh on impossible to bring in a kid from a long distance away if their parents do not make the move, which often requires a job to be found for them by the club.

Young players pursue their normal studies at their clubs, as well as training, and are essentially amateurs until they turn 16. As another source put it, "There are no league tables or team sheets. Everything is dealt with through each club's internal books, so it is difficult for the Football Association to keep under control".

Since 2012, the Professional Development League - which is divided into under-18 and under-21 age groups and tiered according to the academy ratings - has provided the first opportunity for budding prospects (those who haven't made the step up to the first team or gone out on loan) to cut their teeth competitively.