Belgian club Seraing United receive third-party ownership ban

Belgian second-division side Seraing United have been banned by FIFA from signing players for two years after the club agreed to third-party ownership deals.

Seraing have also been fined 150,000 Swiss francs (£100,000) after it was revealed that Malta-based fund Doyen had reportedly added €300,000 (£218,600) to the club's budget in exchange for players' rights.

The club failed in a challenge of the ban in July, where they argued that it broke European Union competition laws.

However, a FIFA committee said that Seraing "sold part of the economic rights of several players to a third party".

Third-party ownership has been banned in the UK since the start of the 2008-09 season after it was discovered that both Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were owned by offshore companies when they joined West Ham United in 2006.