FIFA and UEFA welcome ruling on third-party ownership

FIFA and UEFA have both supported a Belgian court’s decision to reject an appeal against the banning of third-party ownership (TPO).

The world game’s governing body announced back in December that the practice would be outlawed, but that decision met challenges, which argued the ban broke European Union competition laws.

On Monday, a local court in Brussels rejected those appeals, a decision which was welcomed by both FIFA and UEFA.

“FIFA takes this opportunity to reiterate its confidence in the legality of the ban on third party ownership, which is indispensable for preserving clubs’ and players’ independence and for ensuring the integrity of matches and competitions,” a statement read.

“UEFA welcomes the decision of the Brussels first-instance tribunal to reject an application to suspend the implementation of the worldwide ban on third-party ownership,” added UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino.

“UEFA led the fight to eliminate this harmful practice in football and persuaded FIFA to introduce a global ban.

“We have long argued that TPO is bad for players, bad for contractual stability and bad for the integrity of our sport, and now the court has reached the same conclusions in upholding the ban.”