FA to press FIFA on third-party fears

THE FA will urge FIFA to address the issue of third-party player ownership at the earliest opportunity to ensure the Carlos Tevez affair is not the first of many to hit English football.

Third-party ownership of players is a common practice in the South American game and does not, in itself, break any football regulations in England.

What is not allowed, as happened with West Ham and Tevez, is for a third party to acquire the ability to materially influence a club’s policies or team’s performance.

Tevez and fellow Argentinian Javier Mascherano are two of around 15 players in the Premier League whose economic rights are not owned entirely by the club at which they are registered.

The whole practice is something which leaves the FA distinctly uncomfortable, believing it limits their ability to govern the game. They met with new British sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe on Wednesday and have government support in requesting FIFA act to regulate the practice.

An FA spokesman said: “Our stance is that we think players being owned by third parties makes it very difficult to regulate the game. We explained to Gerry Sutcliffe that it is something we will be taking to FIFA at the earliest available opportunity.

“This practice is widespread in South America. If it is going to work it has to be something FIFA leads on.”

As for the Tevez affair specifically, the FA have not been approached by any party to arbitrate on the matter but are monitoring the situation carefully.

FIFA have been called in to break the impasse, which has stalled Tevez’s transfer from West Ham to Manchester United. The row is over who owns the player and therefore who Manchester United deal with. In recent days it has led to an outbreak of mud-slinging between West Ham and the player’s adviser Kia Joorabchian.

West Ham insist Tevez is contracted with them while Joorabchian and his company MSI claim to own his economic rights.

The Premier League have demanded West Ham must receive the bulk of the £30m (€40m) plus transfer fee if they are to sanction the move.