Are FIFA about to allow a very big mistake to occur or will common sense prevail?

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Fifa has indicated it will look favourably on Portsmouth’s request to sell players outside of the transfer window, BBC Sport understands.
Pompey have debts of about £60m and are due in court on 1 March to contest a winding-up order by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
The Premier League will ask the other 19 clubs before making a decision.
It is likely any players sold would only be allowed to play in the Premier League, not any other competitions.

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie insists that the cash-strapped club should be allowed to sell players outside the transfer window.

Pompey have asked the Premier League, who in turn have made a request to world governing body Fifa, to allow the stricken South Coast outfit to sell players in a bid to ease their crippling debts.

There are now contrasting reports as to the outcome of their request, with some suggesting that they will be allowed to cash in on some of their stars.

Pompey handed over a statement of their financial affairs to the High Court this week as this continue to try and fend off a winding up order lodged by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.

But the club have numerous other debts to pay and chief executive Storrie admits that being allowed to sell players could save them.

“Of course we don’t want to sell any more players, but we have no choice,” said Storrie.

“Avram Grant still believes he can keep us up, so he doesn’t want to sell any more players.

“But if it’s a question of survival or selling, there clearly is no choice. We have some immediate cash flow issues to resolve.”

West Ham’s co-owner David Gold is against Pompey’s plea, but has insisted he would be ready to loan their rivals money to help them through their current situation.

“We have no duty to assist Portsmouth’s owners or chief executive [Peter Storrie], who played their part on the current situation, but I feel sympathy for the fans and for that reason we should consider helping,” he said.

“If Portsmouth asked me for £10million, I would lend it to them so long as the Premier League endorsed it and I was repaid on the agreed date.

“We’re in a league that operates on survival of the fittest. Nobody offered to help Crystal Palace recently or so many others over the years in this way to stay out of administration.

“Above all else we need to protect the integrity of our league, and allowing Portsmouth to sell their players outside the normal window in a way that other clubs are not allowed to do isn’t protecting that integrity.

“The issue isn’t about preventing Portsmouth raising money. I would have no problem, for example, if they were allowed to pre-sell players on the understanding they couldn’t play in the league until after the next transfer window.

“I do have a problem with a club being able to buy those players and gain an advantage over a competitor. I wouldn’t want a competitor buying a player not usually available to them to help them stay up, and neither would my club’s rivals want West Ham doing that. A principle needs upholding.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is also warning the Premier League faces losing integrity over the Pompey situation.

“You cannot pretend you are the best League in the world if a team stops competing in the middle of the season. It’s impossible,” he said in an interview with the current Arsenal magazine.

“I think they have at least to play until the end of the season. It would be completely unfair on the rest of the League otherwise.

“The League would not make any sense any more if Portsmouth did not complete their fixtures. I believe that if it came to it, the League would have to take over and ensure that they completed their fixtures for the rest of this season at least.

“I must say I’m very pessimistic about Portsmouth, which is unfortunate because they are a club with fantastic support. I worry for their future. It’s terrible that some clubs will go out of business because it’s part of the history of the country.”

And Hull City chairman Adam Pearson is not happy about the prospect of Pompey being allowed to sell players to rival Premier League teams.

“A lot of our supporters will be asking questions if somebody goes from Portsmouth to the likes of Wigan and scores a goal against us,” Pearson said.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis also condemned the numbers of owners, currently four, that Pompey have had this term.

“We have this fit and proper test for owners but that has broken down. You have to ask if these procedures work,” said Pulis.

“You have to wonder how a club with such stature like Portsmouth, bringing in enormous amounts of money through TV and everything else that goes, can find themselves in this situation. (BBC Sport)

Surely it would be grossly unfair if Portsmouth were allowed to flout the rules of the game simply to suit themselves? It appears that most Premier League bosses are also against such a change in the guidelines. Lets not forget that many other teams have gone into administration and faced the resultant ten point penalty so why should the law be changed now that it affects a top tier club?

As Hull City chairman Adam Pearson points, if a player is sold and does end up assisting another club to the drop then all manner of legal issues could ensue. It is a crime what has happened to the south coast club, a myriad of dodgy dealings and financial misdemeanours have befallen the club in recent years and whilst the fans do not deserve what is happening to them, the Fratton Park outfit must be punished if they do indeed go into administration as to change the rules now would clearly be a totally outrageous anomaly that will then simply become a precedent for future years.

Does anyone think that Pompey deserve such ‘special’ treatment?

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