FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has imposed sanctions on several clubs for breaches relating to third-party influence and/or third-party ownership of players’ economic rights (TPO).
The ban on third-party influence, which is set out in article 18bis of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (the “Regulations”), has been in place since 1 January 2008, while amendments to art. 18bis and the ban on TPO, covered by article 18ter, came into force on 1 May 2015.
The sanctions relate to the following cases:
Santos Futebol Clube of Brazil was sanctioned with a fine of CHF 75,000, a warning and a reprimand for breaching art. 18bis (2008 edition), as well as annexe 3 of the Regulations. The club was found to be liable for entering into contracts that enabled third parties to influence the club’s independence in employment and transfer-related matters, failing to declare mandatory information in the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) and failing to cooperate with an investigation conducted by FIFA TMS.
Sevilla FC of Spain was sanctioned with a fine of CHF 55,000, a warning for breaching art. 18bis (2012 edition), as well as annexe 3 of the Regulations. The club was found to be liable for entering into contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence in employment and transfer-related matters and failing to enter mandatory information into ITMS.
Club K St Truidense VV of Belgium was sanctioned with a fine of CHF 60,000, a warning and a reprimand for breaching art. 18bis and art. 18ter par. 1 (2015 edition) of the Regulations. The club was found to be liable for entering into contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence in employment and transfer-related matters and entering into an agreement that assigns rights to a third party in relation to the future transfer of a player.
Club FC Twente of the Netherlands was sanctioned with a fine of CHF 185,000, a warning and a reprimand for breaching art. 18bis (2012 edition), art. 18ter par. 5 (2015 edition) as well as annexe 3 of the Regulations. The club was found to be liable for entering into contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club in employment and transfer-related matters, failing to upload a TPO agreement into the library in TMS, breaching confidentiality rules and failing to declare mandatory information in ITMS.
The relevant parties have been duly notified of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decisions.
Further information on TPO is available via the links below.
TPO Background Document TPO FAQ