The use of TPO by Santos, Pele’s original club, became notorious as details of the transfer of Neymar to Barcelona three years ago leaked out through the Spanish courts.

Brazilian media outlet Globo reported that Santos had been punished as a direct outcome of an investigation into the sale of Neymar who was part-owned by two marketing agences.

Third party ownership was banned by order of the executive committee of world federation FIFA from May 1 last year through sports legislation which had taken seven years to prepare and in the teeth of legal opposition from several leagues – including Spain – clubs and corporate entities.

The disciplinary committee has announced the following punishments:

Santos have been fined fined SFr 75,000, warned and reprimand after being found “liable for entering into contracts that enabled third parties to influence the club’s independence in employment and transfer-related matters, failing to declare mandatory information in the International Transfer Matching System and failing to cooperate with an investigation”;

Sevilla have been fined SFr 55,000 and warned for “entering into contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence in employment and transfer-related matters and failing to enter mandatory information into ITMS”;

St Truidense of Belgium have been fined SFr 60,000, warned and reprimanded similarly as well as “assigning rights to a third party in relation to the future transfer of a player”; and

Twente of Holland have been fined SFr 185,000, warned and reprimanded for “entering into contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club in employment and transfer-related matters, failing to upload a TPO agreement into the library in TMS, breaching confidentiality rules and failing to declare mandatory information in ITMS.”

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