Advertisement

Aberdeen had 'no option' but to reveal tribunal fee for Rangers' Connor Barron

Connor Barron signed a four-year deal with Rangers in June <i>(Image: SNS)</i>
Connor Barron signed a four-year deal with Rangers in June (Image: SNS)

Aberdeen have outlined the fee they will receive from Rangers for Connor Barron’s summer transfer and hit out at the “irresponsible leaking” of the tribunal decision.

Reports emerged on Tuesday claiming that Rangers were instructed to pay Aberdeen £600,000 by the Scottish Professional Football League’s Independent Compensation Tribunal following the 22-year-old midfielder’s move to Ibrox.

Aberdeen have disclosed that they will receive more than that figure for Barron – a guaranteed sum of £639,920 as well as conditional performance-based payments and a sell-on fee of any future transfers – and had “no option” but to correct “misinformation” over the outcome.

“The club has now received the decision from the SPFL’s Independent Compensation Tribunal, triggered by Rangers FC, with reference to Connor Barron’s summer transfer,” Aberdeen said in a statement published on the club website.

“The SPFL has clear procedural rules on the confidentiality of determinations in hearings such as this, and whilst Aberdeen FC had every intention of observing its confidentiality obligations, we now believe that we have been left with no option but to correct the misinformation that has been circulated following the erroneous and irresponsible leaking of the tribunal decision.

“In fact, the actual outcome of the tribunal was to reward Aberdeen FC a guaranteed sum of £639,920, with an additional £250k of conditional performance-based payments as well as future economic rights by way of a sell-on allowing Aberdeen to benefit from any future transfers of Connor as he progresses further in his career.

“The guaranteed fee and the likelihood of where the final compensation will eventually land, by way of the future conditional payments, justifies our decision to reject the full and final offer that was presented to us by Rangers back in May, which led to the tribunal being convened.”

Aberdeen also criticised the current cross border (international) training compensation guidelines, which were introduced by FIFA in 2001.

The club added: “This arduous and costly process, and even the final determination, highlights the need for an urgent review into both the domestic and international training compensation systems to ensure clubs continue to be incentivised and protected when it comes to the development of young players.

“Indeed, whilst we would have received less compensation if Connor had gone cross-border via the FIFA system, it is our view that the categorisation and figures within the FIFA system, now decades old, nowhere near reflect today’s actual costs incurred by clubs.

“It is for this reason that we believe an important and urgent discussion is required both domestically and globally to ensure both training compensation systems are fit for purpose.

“Therefore, protecting the investment that is required to successfully train and develop players at a time when the Scottish FA is encouraging clubs to achieve more success in this area.

“This will also in turn foster and protect academies and give young Scottish talent opportunities for decades to come.”