United 1 – Le Havre 0: Pogba to be a United player

By: Taylor Rockwell | October 8th, 2009

Paul Pogba 2 And with that, Paul Pogba became a Manchester United player. After months of speculation regarding the fate of the French teenager, a FIFA-appointed judge upheld United’s claim that Pogba could not have been offered financial inducements to break a contract (because he didn’t have one) and was therefore free to sign with the English champions.

A club spokesman told the official club website that, “Manchester United is pleased to confirm that the Football Association has been authorised by FIFA to register Paul Pogba as a United player with immediate effect.”

The judge dismissed all of Le Havre’s complaints, stating that Pogba was still technically an amateur when he played for the French club and that as no contract existed, United were well within their legal rights to pursue the teenager. Le Havre retain the right to appeal FIFA’s decision.

Obviously, I am thrilled about this news. Pogba looks to be a real talent, and I expect he will figure prominently in Manchester United’s future plans. However, the obvious issue of teenage “poaching” remains. Obviously, the idea of “poaching” can’t be applied here, as FIFA have made abundantly clear. Nevertheless, as long as there is no uniform system in place, then the debate will rage on.

With the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid proving that they are capable of outspending any team for any player, it seems only logical that big clubs will turn to the youth system to bolster their rosters. Couple that with the recent “home grown player” initiative, and it makes complete sense why English teams are pursuing young international talent. Does it make it right? Probably not. But it’s the way the system is, and until FIFA step in and make some difficult decisions, the loophole will remain.

For now, Pogba is now free to join United “with immediate effect.” All discussion of “poaching” and international age restrictions aside, it will be interesting to see how Pogba handles the spotlight. Instead of being yet another young player in the academy ranks, Pogba may find himself tied to the likes of Gael Kakuta in that now his name is known instead of being relatively obscure. Whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen, but at least now we’ll have a chance to find out. Welcome to United Paul!