Boateng's proposed move to Blackburn hampered

Boateng is in good form for Pompey

Ghana midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng's proposed move to rival English club Blackburn from Portsmouth could be stalled by a Fifa rule.

 
Portsmouth's plans to cash in on their playing assets in order to help pay off debts could be hampered by Fifa rules that prohibit players appearing for more than two clubs in the same season.

Blackburn Rovers are thought to have enquired about Kevin-Prince Boateng, the Ghana midfield player who cost Portsmouth £4 million from Tottenham Hotspur in August.

However, Boateng made a substitute appearance for Spurs in a Carling Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers before moving to Fratton Park, and Fifa regulations state that, although a player may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season, “during this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs”. 

Any club signing Boateng would have to appeal.
A Premier League spokesman confirmed that, short of the player launching a personal appeal on the ground that 31 minutes on the field at the Keepmoat Stadium should not restrain his trade, the only other possibility would be for a club to buy Boateng then loan him back to Portsmouth — an extreme and unlikely act of philanthropy. 

The same rule would prevent the resale of Tommy Smith, who made five appearances for Watford this season before signing for Portsmouth.