FIFA president Sepp Blatter has promised that the world’s football governing body would ban third-party ownership (TPO) of players globally within three or four years, in light of pressure from UEFA and players’ unions to outlaw the practice.
TPO is the ownership of a player’s economic rights by third party sources, such as football agents, sports management agencies or investors. It is a common practice in football, particularly in Brazil and Argentina, where many clubs are financially limited.
Businessmen or other investors buy shares in the economic rights of young players and often cover the costs of their training and accommodation and in return they are entitled to a percentage of a player’s future transfer fee, The Guardian reported.
It was reportedly revealed this week how an internal FIFA report had found that third-party ownership trapped clubs in a vicious cycle of debt and dependence and posed risks to players and the integrity of the game.
UEFA, frustrated with FIFA’s inaction, vowed to introduce new rules to tackle third-party ownership from next season if it refused to act.
Blatter first promised to ban third-party ownership in 2007 but following an executive committee meeting in Zurich on Friday, at which the matter was not officially on the agenda, he said that a clear stance had been made.
