ZURICH: World football’s governing body FIFA is to ban the practice of investment companies owning stakes in footballers’ economic rights, president Sepp Blatter announced on Friday.
The so-called “third party ownership” (TPO) is already banned in the English Premier League, but is common in some parts of Europe and in South America.
“The Executive Committee took a very important decision concerning the TPO, third party ownership of players’ economic rights,” Blatter said after a FIFA Executive Committee meeting. “We took the firm decision that TPO should be banned. But it cannot be banned immediately, there will be a transitional period and a working group… is working on that. It is very important.” he added.
European football chief Michel Platini in March called on FIFA to act over secretive companies or agents owning players.
Platini dubbed TPO a “danger”, saying many players were no longer in control of their own sporting careers, often transferred each year to “generate revenue for anonymous individuals who just want to get their hands on some of the money in football”.
He said that if FIFA did not act, UEFA would take its own action.
Meanwhile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed today that he would stand for a fifth term in charge of world football in an election in May next year.
“I have announced to the Executive Committee … that I will accept the demands of different associations and federations (to stand for election) to serve FIFA for a fifth mandate,” Blatter said.
The 78-year-old has been FIFA’s leader since 1998, but has faced growing criticism from European football chiefs in recent months. The World Cup, a multi-billion dollar earner for FIFA, is also embroiled in controversy over the way the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were decided. (Agencies)
