Deadline day: Is a fax machine still used in football transfers?

Football Transfers and the Fax Machine Myth

Every transfer window, fans hear the same rumors: “The deal was delayed because of the fax machine.” In an era of end-to-end encryption, cloud platforms, and digital signatures, the idea sounds ridiculous. But it’s rooted in a history of bureaucracy, technical hiccups, and, yes, real fax machines.

Where the Fax Came In

Football clubs used fax machines heavily through the 1990s and early 2000s. The reason was simple: most football associations accepted official paperwork only via fax. Clubs would scramble to get contracts signed, scanned, and faxed before the deadline. And yes, more than one deal collapsed because a page jammed or a line dropped.

High-Stakes Drama, Low-Tech Tools

Unlike email, faxes offered a legally accepted time-stamped transmission. That mattered a lot. If a deal landed even one second past the cut-off time, the player stayed put. Clubs trusted faxes over email back then because of this timestamp authority. Today, that seems backwards—but it made sense before digital document verification became standard.

Modern Systems and Why It’s Still a Thing

Most football bodies have moved on. FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS), launched in 2010, was a game-changer. It’s an online portal that clubs must use to record player details, transfer fees, and contracts before a transfer can go through. It was designed to eliminate paperwork errors and increase transparency.

So Why Do People Still Mention Faxes?

It’s mostly legacy language—and media drama. Many clubs still use the term “faxed over” even if they’re just referring to scanned PDFs sent via secure portals. Plus, in some national associations, the infrastructure is dated. They may not require faxes, but they haven’t completely ruled them out either.

Deadline Day Pressure: Still Real

January 31 or August 31 remains a chaotic day for club secretaries, agents, and legal departments. Every minute counts. Most associations allow for a “Deal Sheet” — a short summary of the transfer — to be submitted before the deadline, giving clubs an extra couple of hours to finalize documents.

Deal Sheets Explained

• Premier League: Clubs can submit a Deal Sheet between 21:00 and 23:00 BST on deadline day.
• Time Buffer: If accepted, they get until 01:00 BST to complete the deal.
• Use Case: Applies when deals are already agreed in principle but paperwork is still being processed.

What Still Goes Wrong?

Even with tech upgrades, clubs still mess up. Contracts get uploaded with incorrect dates. Names are misspelled. Financial terms don’t match. The system won’t approve the deal until everything aligns. And yes, internet issues still ruin someone’s night once in a while.

Notable Near-Misses

• David de Gea (2015): Manchester United and Real Madrid blamed each other when his transfer collapsed due to late paperwork. Rumors of a faulty fax machine sparked the story—but it was actually a delay in uploading documents to FIFA TMS.
• Adrien Silva (2017): Leicester submitted his paperwork 14 seconds too late. FIFA rejected the transfer. No fax was involved—just a brutal timestamp.

The Current Reality as of September 4, 2025

Fax machines are no longer required by any major football governing body. All top-tier transfers go through digital platforms. Smaller clubs or less-resourced leagues may still have old habits, but they’re no longer the norm. Technology has taken over. But the legend of the fax machine lives on as part of football’s quirky culture.

What Clubs Use Today

Still a Punchline, But Not a Tool

Clubs joke about the fax machine every deadline day, and journalists still reference it. But if a transfer collapses in 2025, don’t blame the fax. Blame someone who couldn’t click “upload” fast enough. That’s the reality of the modern football transfer scene—no cables, just Wi-Fi and timestamps.