MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - FIFA have handed out a series of fines to clubs for transfer deals involving "third party influence", world soccer's governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA policy on third-party ownership bans either clubs or players from entering into economic rights agreements with third-party investors. Frequently such deals involve outside investors retaining or gaining a share of ownership in a player.
Portugal's Sporting Lisbon was fined 110,000 Swiss francs (80,123.33 pounds) for "entering into two contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence as well as for failing to record an existing third-party ownership agreement".
Another Portuguese club Benfica was fined 150,000 francs for two deals involving third-parties.
Spain's Rayo Vallecano was fined 55,000 francs for a third-party deal and Celta Vigo was sanctioned 65,000 francs for a deal which FIFA said "enabled Benfica to influence the club’s independence".
Qatari club Al Arabi was fined 185,000 francs for several third-party deals and for not entering correct information in FIFA's mandatory International Transfer Matching System in the cases of seven transfers.
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
