U.S. Youth Club Given OK To File Complaint With FIFA Regarding DeAndre Yedlin Transfer

Crossfire Premiere—a youth club based in Redmond, Washington—who is seeking to receiving solidarity payments as a result of DeAndre Yedlin's $4 million transfer from the Seattle Sounders to the Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League has received permission from FIFA to file a complaint with the organization's Dispute Resolution Chamber, an independent arbitration tribunal set up by FIFA to settle private legal disputes.

The news is a significant victory for both Crossfire and any other youth club wishing to pursue the payment of such fees, which are mandated by FIFA, but are disallowed by U.S. Soccer, who claim that such payments violates the Fraser vs. MLS anti trust suit from 1998. No U.S. youth team has ever been granted permission to file an official complaint with FIFA and now a precedent has been set for other team's to follow Crossfire's example.

Crossfire believes it is owed as much as $100,000 as part of the Yedlin transfer. On July 8, VICE Sports reported that U.S. Soccer had been trying to persuade Crossfire to drop their complaint. U.S. Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.