DUBAI // David Davies is sure the new Global Hero Football Fund, to which he is an advisory board member, will attract less controversy than the recent publication of his autobiography. The memoirs of the former executive director of the English FA caused minor tremors within the walls of Soho Square when they were released earlier this year. However, he retains a great amount of respect within the game, which gives Emirates NBD's footballer-ownership fund - where buy investors own the players rather than their clubs - much-needed kudos.
Such funding is common in many less affluent football leagues, such as in South America. However, Fifa have recently moved to outlaw similar arrangements following the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano affair in England in 2006. However, Davies is sure the Hero fund is water-tight. He said: "The well-publicised Tevez and Mascherano case caused a great deal of controversy. fferent countries now have different regulations as far as third party ownership is concerned, but the Fifa regulation is very clear.
"No club shall enter into a contract which enables any third-party to acquire the ability to influence through employment or transfer related matters, its independence, its policies or the performances of its teams. "It is basically all about the integrity of the match. You don't have somebody who owns a bit of one player at one end of the pitch, then somebody who owns a bit of another player at the other end of the pitch.
"Hero is not about that, at all. What we are about is looking to provide investment to clubs to help them purchase players and develop players. "We will not be involved in 'owning players' in the way that built up the Tevez-Mascherano controversy." pradley@thenational.ae
