EU law should smooth the Pounds 18m transfer of Barcelona footballer

EUROPEAN Union labour regulations, shaped by the Bosman ruling, now seem sure to smooth the path for the record from Barcelona to Internazionate Milan, despite resistance from the Spanish and world soccer authorities.

FIFA, the sport's governing body, said yesterday that any decision about the legality of the deal may not be made until the end of the month.ruling to prevent the transfer probably runs contrary to European law.

While Ronaldo is under contract to Barcelona until 2004, a withdrawal clause in his Spanish contract has allowed him to "buy out" his deal. But the Spanish

Football Federation has refused to issue a transfer certificate for the 20-year-old superstar on the grounds that such withdrawal clauses are valid for domestic transfers only.

That position appears to be supported by FIFA rules which state that a player cannot buy out his contract for the purposes of obtaining an international transfer.

FIFA said yesterday it needed time to study documents from both clubs, and consider its response to Mr Flynn and his colleague, Mr Karel Van Miert.

The Commission warned FIFA that the tug-of-war between Barcelona and Internazionale over who owned the world football player of the year was the result of a transfer rule that contravened European Union laws and "constitutes an unjustified obstacle to the free movement of workers".

This right was extended to footballers by the European Court of Justice in the landmark Bosman ruling of December 1995, which outlawed transfer fees for out-of-contract players within the EU.