ROME: UEFA boss Michel Platini on Tuesday urged the European Union to outlaw third-party ownership of footballers, casting doubt on whether FIFA would act effectively to stamp out the practice.

Addressing a meeting of EU sports ministers in Rome, Platini departed from his prepared script to issue an impassioned appeal over a practice he described as “a tangible threat to the ethical integrity of our sport.” Bowing to pressure from UEFA, FIFA agreed last month to phase out arrangements where a player can be partly owned by a club and partly by one or more investors.

Critics say such arrangements, which players including Brazilian Neymar and Argentina’s Carlos Tevez have been subject to, can lead to conflicts of interest and possible corruption.

Advocates of the system argue that it often enables poorer clubs to hang on to their best players by generating funds to match the wages of bigger and wealthier rivals.

Against that backdrop, FIFA said it would need three or four years to implement its decision, with the exact timescale not due to be decided until next March.

British football has already banned third party ownership and Platini said the whole of the 28-member European Union should create a legal framework to ensure the elimination of a practice once restricted to Latin America but now “invading Europe.” “Players see their contractual freedom restricted as their owners abuse their power and do lucrative deals on their backs,” Platini told ministers.

“It has very little to do with human dignity or the fundamental rights on which the European Union is based.

“These funds (investing in players) are often based in tax havens with very murky structures.

Blatter’s preference

Holding the controversy-plagued 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar at the end of that year rather than the scorching summer is FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s preferred option, he told French radio station France Info on Monday.

The 78-year-old Swiss — who will stand again for the presidency next year despite having to weather many storms over his 16-year rule including accusations of corruption over the Qatar bid for the 2022 finals — admitted it would involve altering the domestic league programs.

“We cannot play the World Cup in summer,” said Blatter.

“The date which is the most convenient is the end of the year.” Blatter, who has since January 2011 conceded the finals in Qatar would have to be switched from the traditional June/July dates because of the searing temperatures in Qatar at that time of year, agreed the change would not please clubs.

“However, the World Cup is too important,” he said.

Switching the finals to the beginning of the year would present an extra problem as it could well clash with the Winter Olympics.

Qatar and FIFA are coming under increasing pressure to take the 2022 showpiece away from a country that has little sporting infrastructure or footballing culture, while there have been accusations of bribery in the bidding process.

Europe’s top leagues are also firmly against any suggestion that the World Cup be moved to the winter to avoid the sweltering summer months in Qatar, while there have been allegations of horrific working conditions for migrant workers building stadiums and infrastructure.