FIFA's new committee will address lingering problems

By Mark Ledsom

BERNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Third-party ownership of transfer rights, club ownership regulations and rows over club versus country will be up for discussion when FIFA's new Strategic Committee holds its first meeting next week.

The new body will discuss a wide range of thorny issues including who should pay for players' insurance while they are on international duty, according to an agenda released by world soccer's governing body on Wednesday,.

Chaired by UEFA president Michel Platini, Tuesday's meeting will also consider possible restrictions on football being played at extreme altitude and on clubs who attempt to sell or transfer their league places to other clubs.

The latter scenario was brought starkly to FIFA's attention in August when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against the Spanish Football Federation's attempt to block third-division club Granada 74 effectively buying out second-division side Ciudad Murcia.

Wednesday's media release said the committee would "consider the issue of third-party ownership of players as well as requirements relating to club ownership that endeavour to ensure more transparency in terms of stakeholdings, finances and corporate governance."

International discrepancies over third-party ownership rules were highlighted by the row in England over the controversial status of former West Ham United striker Carlos Tevez.

West Ham, who have since sold Tevez to Premier League rivals Manchester United, were fined 5.5 million pounds in April after breaching league rules outlawing third-party deals.

FIFA has not yet taken an official stance on third-party ownership and said it was unable to mediate in the Tevez affair when the issue later threatened to derail his move to United.