Charlotte FC outspends clubs in CONCACAF region in transfer fees in ’22, FIFA report says
Charlotte FC spent more money on transfer fees than any other club in the CONCACAF region in 2022, according to a report released by FIFA on Thursday.
This means that the Charlotte-based expansion side outspent all Major League Soccer foes in transfer fees in its inaugural season — an indication that the club was ambitious relative to its league peers in seeking out overseas talents and bringing them to Charlotte.
MLS foes Chicago Fire, Orlando City and Atlanta United filled out the rest of the top 4. Mexico-based UANL spent the fifth-most in transfer fees in CONCACAF, per the report.
The report does not include specific figures in U.S. dollars for how much each club spent on transfer fees. That said, the report specifies that CONCACAF spent $259.4 million in transfer fees in 2022 — second only to European association UEFA.
CONCACAF is an abbreviation that stands for the “Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.” It is one of FIFA’s six continental governing bodies for association football and encompasses 41 countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada and myriad Central American countries.
Here’s what else you need to know.
What is Charlotte FC’s transfer-fee spending a result of?
One reason why Charlotte FC spent so much on transfer fees is because the team was brand new. The MLS expansion club embarked on its inaugural season in 2022, and as a result, it needed to build a roster.
CLTFC paid transfer fees in 2022 for a handful of players on its inaugural roster. Those players include forward Karol Świderski, midfielder Jan Sobocinski, goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina and striker Vinicius Mello.
It also spent money on other overseas talent as a function of building out its inaugural roster throughout the season. Many of those players served as an integral part of the team’s late-season resurgence. This includes forward Kerwin Vargas from Portuguese side C.D. Feirense, defender Adilson Malanda Polish, winger Kamil Jóźwiak and midfielder Nuno Santos.
It’s worth noting that Charlotte FC also paid hefty transfer fees for others in its brief existence, but the report only reflects transactions executed in 2022. So the acquisitions of Sergio Ruiz (2020 signee), Jordy Alcívar (2021 signee) and Argentine star Enzo Copetti (2023 signee) don’t factor into this calculation.
Charlotte FC spending picture
This report helps build out Charlotte FC’s spending picture in 2022.
In October, the MLS Players Association released salary information for players across the league, and that report showed that Charlotte FC spent $11.7 million in total payroll in 2022. That was 22nd-most in the 28-club league.
What that number doesn’t necessarily show is how much the team spent on transfer fees, an important factor when calculating how much a club has actually spent on its roster.
Also in the FIFA report
▪ The report states that the international transfers of male professional players surpassed 20,000 for the first time, which represents an increase of 11.6% from 2021. That naturally led to a boost in club transfer-fee spending. In a statement, FIFA chief legal and compliance officer Emilio Garcia Silvero explained said spending increase: “The two-year negative trend in clubs’ spending on transfer fees was turned around in 2022, with last year’s total outlay reaching $6.5 billion, an increase of 33.5% compared to 2021, yet still below the all-time high of 2019.”
▪ The growth of the women’s game continued in 2022, and that could be demonstrated by the number of clubs involved in international transfers: There were 500 international transfers in 2022, up from 410 in 2021, per the report.
▪ It is also worth noting that in 2022 there were more than twice as many amateur transfers as professional transfers, per the report, with a total of 49,238 amateur players moving across borders and joining a club in a new association.
