The New Definition of Third-Party in the FIFA RSTP and its Potential Consequences

According to the amended version of the 2019 RSTP, the Player being transferred from one club to another will no longer be considered as a third party within the context of Article 18ter of FIFA RSTP, and thus, he will no longer be a “stranger” to his own transfer.

Introduction

Third-party ownership of players’ economic rights (TPO) - a financial instrument whose origins go back to South American countries - has been intensively debated at various levels within the football community since the introduction in 2015 of Article 18ter of FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP). In short, TPO refers to “third-party investments in the economic rights of professional football players, potentially in order to receive a share of the value of any future transfers of those players”.^[1] From a technical point of view, the operation is characterized by the “presence of third parties, acting as private investors or investment funds, whose objective is the acquisition of the stake represented by a quota of rights to the sports value of the footballer linked to his...

Why not join us?

Football Legal is an independent media publishing football law contents on a daily basis dedicated to all football law practitioners (lawyers, clubs, federations, intermediaries, football stakeholders, etc.).

Get started