The summer has been one of difficulty for Jamaican international captain and ex Leeds player and captain Rodolph Austin.
Rodolph’s contract with Leeds terminated on the 30th June 2015 and due to circumstances beyond his or our company’s control we were unable to conclude a new contract in England.
In May 2015 the FA changed the rules regarding international players from outside Europe playing in England; primarily the international player needs to come from a top 50 FIFA ranked country (averaged over two years) and at the time Jamaica didn’t fit that criteria. They are currently ranked 52nd.
Despite Rodolph having played in the Championship for 3 years and having settled in Leeds with his wife and two year old son who was born in the UK, his circumstances would not meet the new FA criteria which is based on transfer fee and weekly wages if the country is ranked outside of the top 50, this is is clearly aimed at Premiership Clubs.
Darryl Powell would like to personally thank all the fans from Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and the wider football family and beyond who showed support over the summer for Rodolph. He said “The support from the fans has been overwhelming and I want to thank them on behalf of Paramount and Rodolph. The situation was extremely frustrating for all involved and the fans have been fantastic throughout.”
Keith Jones was also a huge support having set up a petition which had over 6000 signatures supporting Rodolph’s case.
Rodolph has now been granted a permit and has signed a contract with Danish team Brondby IF.
