FA TO PRESS FIFA ON THIRD-PARTY FEARS

The Football Association 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, or part-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 Barclays 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 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 proposed 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 and registered with them while Joorabchian and his company MSI claim to own the striker's economic rights.

The Premier League have demanded West Ham must receive the bulk of the £30million-plus transfer fee if they are to sanction the move.

The Government will not get involved directly in either the Tevez affair or the wider issue of third-party ownership. They will leave football matters to be dealt with by the footballing authorities.

But the Department of Culture, Media and Sport agree it is an issue which needs full investigation and Sutcliffe has given his full backing to the FA.

A DCMS spokesman said: "Gerry Sutcliffe met with the FA on a number of issues relating to football governance and it was clear there are concerns about third-party ownership and the potential influence that might have.

"It is a relatively new thing to these shores and it is only right, in the light of various concerns, that the issue is examined carefully with regard to the overall integrity of the game.

"This is a matter for the football authorities and there is no question of the Government intervening.

"Gerry himself is of the view this needs to be looked at carefully by the football authorities and he is prepared to support the sport in any effort they make in doing that."

Taken from =football365=