[1][2][3] A number of sources noted the conflict between the FIFA ruling, barring the players from playing, and the European Union's regulations which forbid restrictions on a citizen's right to work.
[5][6] In April 2007, FIFA informed Cork City that they would not allow two players, Irish internationals Colin Healy and Gareth Farrelly, to play for the club.
Equally, the provisions relating to the registration periods (article 6) as well as to the minimum length of a contract (article 18 paragraph 2) must be respected.The Finnish Football Association, an association that also has its season within a calendar year, similar Ireland, permits any player who signs for a Finnish club, and in the same situation as Colin Healy or Gareth Farrelly, to play in official matches in Finland.
[citation needed] According to a 2007 ESPN article, this amounted to a decision by the Finnish FA to "ignore FIFA's rule".
[4] A number of sources compared the situation, with Healy and Farrelly, to the case of Javier Mascherano, an Argentine international who joined Liverpool after playing with West Ham within the same year.