In the football world, the expression third party ownership means the ownership of a player's “economic rights” by third-party sources, such as football agents, sports-management agencies, or other investors.

The involvement of investors in the “ownership” of players is becoming a common practice in football, particularly in South America. Businessmen or other investors buy shares in the so-called economic rights of young players and often cover the costs of their training and accommodation. In return they are entitled to a percentage of a player's future transfer fee.

Actually, such practice has been in use for many years in South America, but it became highly controversial in Europe, and especially in England,...

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