UEFA tighten third-party ownership rules

UEFA have tightened their rules on third-party ownership of players after pressure from the Premier League and Ligue 1. England and France are currently the only countries who ban the practise and they joined forces last year to lobby UEFA amid fears clubs from other European nations could use it to circumvent Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. UEFA have not gone as far as outlawing third-party ownership but they have closed a potential loophole by stating teams cannot use money gained from selling stakes in players to balance their books for FFP purposes. Clubs must also formally declare any split in a player's economic rights. That should remove any potential advantage the rivals of English and French clubs might have had. FFP was established to prevent teams spending more than they earn and thereby limit the chances of them going bust as well as creating a more level playing field. FIFA .