Third-party ownership: UEFA and FIFPro launch joint complaint to the European Commission

UEFA and FIFPro have filed a complaint with the European Commission against TPO (third party ownership of players), announced the two bodies on 01/04/2015. "We question the legality of third-party player ownership (TPO) within European law on the basis that it is harmful to the interests of players, clubs and fans, and also undermines the standing and integrity of the game," said UEFA.

The FIFA Executive Committee decided on 19/12/2014 to ban the ownership of players by third parties as of 01/05/2015, stating: "Existing agreements shall continue to be in place until their contractual expiry. New agreements made between 01/01/2015 and 30/05/2015 will be subject to a time limit (one year maximum)."

"The complaint lodged with the European Commission goes beyond the terms set out in the worldwide ban, which FIFA is set to implement as of 01/05/2015. If successful, the complaint will prevent the signing of new TPO agreements and demand existing arrangements to be considered illegal and unenforceable," said FIFPro on 01/04/2015.

"TPO is is harmful to the interests of players, clubs and…