Football agent Mino Raiola "has sparked fresh interest" in the illegal practice of third-party ownership after suggesting that Juventus was "not the only" owner of Paul Pogba’s rights during his time at the club, according to Samuel Lovett of the London INDEPENDENT. The Italian-born agent "also admitted that he had owned stakes in players before the practice of TPO was made illegal" by FIFA in '15. He said, "I can’t talk about the contract but, in a deal like Pogba’s, it’s not just the clubs who earn from it." When asked "if he was paid a fee by Juventus for Paul Pogba’s record-breaking transfer" to ManU, he replied, "No -- not in the way that you’re saying it." When asked to explain, the 48-year-old said, "I have to see how I can phrase this in a way that Juventus cannot tackle me through the law, let’s say. Hmm. How can I say it? [Long pause.] Yes: in this deal Juventus was not the only owner of the player’s rights." Juventus "challenged the accusations," saying, "No third party had any ownership of the player’s rights." The agent "also revealed that he has previously owned stakes in players." He said, "Not often. But sometimes." But he "refused to confirm whether Pogba was one of those players" (INDEPENDENT, 10/30).
