The Argentine Football Federation (AFA) has implemented a new rule that prohibits footballers from receiving national team call-ups if they move abroad without first signing a professional contract with a domestic club, The Athletic reported on Tuesday.
One of the consequences of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi not being called up to the national team is that he joined Barcelona's academy from Newell's Old Boys when he was just 13 years old.
The AFA said the regulation was created because there have been several cases related to the application of patria potestad, namely the law of parental authority in Argentina, which covers the right of parents to manage their children's assets.
In practice, the patria potestad law allows parents to determine where their children sign professional contracts, without their club's prior consent.
Thus, the club where a player is being developed will only receive compensation in the form of a development fee, and not a transfer fee, if the player leaves before signing a professional contract.
This AFA policy is designed to protect domestic clubs from losing young talent and incentivize the development of academy players.
