KEIR RADNEDGE in LONDON: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge thinks FIFA may have dealt itself an impossible hand in outlawing third-party ownership of players.

European federation UEFA succeeded two weeks ago in persuading the world federation to enact a long-awaited bar on the system which diverts money out of the game and into the pockets of business investors.

However FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke observed at the time that a transitionary period could last for between three and four years to reorganise the financial model of many South American clubs who depend on what is called TPO.

Rummenigge, chairman of the European Club Association which favours the ban and chief executive of Bayern Munich, thinks FIFA may struggle to come up with an answer.

At the Leaders Business Summit* in London he said: “Some of our own member clubs in Europe will have difficulties in changing their [financial] and all the clubs using TPO in the southern part of Europe – like Portugal and Greece – will need this transitional phase to find solutions.

“This will need years not months and we have to try to help them.

“But the whole of South America is owned by TPO investors so I don’t know how FIFA will solve this problem.”

* Leaders Business Summit at Chelsea FC, Stamford Bridge, London

# # # # #