Alex Bugaj is a full-fledged Wisła player!

Alex Bugaj will represent the White Star in Polish competitions this coming season. The young footballer has already been officially confirmed as a Wisła Kraków player.

18-year-old Alex Bugaj arrived at Reymont last August, moving to Wawel from Molde FK in Norway. The left-back signed a two-year contract with the club, with an option to extend it, and even managed to play in a few friendly matches before the start of the season. However, due to formal reasons, FIFA ruled he could not compete in official competitions, a situation that will soon change.

Under Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, international transfers are only permitted for players who are of legal age. However, there are three exceptions – one of which is when the transfer takes place within the European Union or European Economic Area and the player is between 16 and 18 years of age.

The club wanted to take advantage of this exception, but FIFA's decision was negative. The player changed his training category from II to IV, which the international federation refused to grant, even though the club argued that the player had been exposed to a demanding training environment.

In the winter, the club, wanting to make another transfer attempt, reached an agreement with the Norwegians, but the transfer was again blocked by FIFA.

Ultimately, after turning 18 – which took place on May 9 this year – Bugaj was able to join Wisła without FIFA's approval, but it was only in July that he became eligible to play as a Wisła Kraków player.

Congratulations and good luck!