Football
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Spain, Portugal to challenge FIFA ban on third-party ownership

The Spanish and Portuguese professional leagues said on Monday said they plan to challenge FIFA's ban on third-party ownership of players to the European Union's competition commission.

"The prohibition of third-party ownership constitutes an economic agreement that restricts the economic liberty of clubs, players and third parties without any justification or proportionality," the leagues said in a joint statement.

"This ban damages the clubs, principally those with less economic resources, preventing them from sharing with third parties the economic rights of the professional players in their squads and to manage their financial obligations in the most prudent form."

#INSERT type:image caption:The Premier League banned third-party ownership in the wake of revelations over the transfers of Argentinian stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in 2006. END#

Both leagues say FIFA would face a multi-million euro fine if their challenge against football's governing body is successful. They also claim FIFA would have to provide compensation for the clubs, players and third parties affected.

Last year, FIFA said third-party ownership would be abolished beginning in May of this year as football aims to bring an end to a system its critics say is corrupt. 

UEFA president Michel Platini last year also called third-party ownership a danger to the game, saying many players were no longer in control of their own sporting careers and often transferred to "generate revenue for anonymous individuals who just want to get their hands on some of the money in football".

Propnents of the system believe it provides a lifeline for clubs with less economic clout, allowing them to compete on more even footing. Under FIFA's proposals, existing agreements with third parties will be allowed to continue until the end of their contractual obligation and any new agreements before the new law comes into play will be subject to a one-year limit.

The English Premier League has already banned third-party ownership, but it remains a common practice in South America as well as in Spain and Portugal. Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes, whose clients include Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Jose Mourinho, has called FIFA's move to ban the practice as "catastrophic" and would like to see the courts overturn it.

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