Guyana adopts FIFA’s Domestic Transfer Matching System training

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has become the first Member Association of the CONCACAF Region to adopt the Domestic Transfer Matching System (DTMS), according to FIFA’s DTMS Project Coordinator Semira Jawdat.
This announcement was made on Friday last at Olympic House during her opening remarks at a two-day training workshop, which sought to build capacity among GFF Secretariat staff, Member Associations and Clubs on the use of the DTMS.
Jawdat said it was a memorable day for the GFF: “Today is not only training in using the system, or on exercising it, or giving you compliance advice. Today is also a new chapter for the Guyana Football Federation, its affiliated clubs and Regional Associations. It is a great moment because it’s the first member of CONCACAF to adopt DTMS.”
According to FIFA, the DTMS is “the national version of the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS). With DTMS, the federation and its clubs have the ability to manage and monitor their domestic transfer activity, generate statistics and reports, speed up the transfer process and store required documents online, safely. As an extension of the ITMS, the system allows the federation to access international and domestic transfers in one place.”
While encouraging maximum participation, Jawdat, who works in FIFA’s Global Transfers and Compliance Department, said the DTMS was meant to be responsive to the unique needs of Member Associations. “We’ll see how to improve the system according to your needs, because the system is not static. It will and it tries to accommodate your needs,” she explained.
GFF President Wayne Forde said part of his Executive Committee’s mandate was to professionalise the sport, and expressed his satisfaction that capacity-building on player transfers was being done.
“We know that movement of players has been a very contentious issue in Guyana’s football for many years. We now have an opportunity to have a platform, where we can do this in a very structured and transparent manner that will certainly serve the interest of our efforts to professionalise football in Guyana.”
FIFA’s Training and Support Coordinator, Maria Stracke, while indicating her pleasure to share her knowledge about the DTMS, in her remarks, reiterated that the transfer process was about transparency and equity.
“All transfers are being handled in the same way and it’s about fairness,” she said.
Also included in the team is Hector Navarro, Legal Counsel, TMS Compliance. The first day of the workshop catered for key GFF Secretariat staff and Regional Associations Representatives, who will interface with the system, while the second day targeted representatives from Clubs.