Zahavi 'linked' to new deal to own Argentine players (12 Sep 2006 17:30 GMT)
The trend by which promising young South American players are owned not just by their clubs, but partly or wholly by separate companies, appeared to be taken a step further yesterday when the debt-ridden Argentine club River Plate announced the sale of percentages in five of the team's most promising players to an unnamed business group. The Israeli "super agent" Pini Zahavi is thought to have brokered the dea,l said to be worth $13m (£6.8m).
The controversial trend was highlighted last week when the Argentine World Cup players Carlos Tevez and Javier Macherano joined West Ham from the Brazilian club Corinthians. The players were owned by the company Media Sports Investment and the same firm is reported by the Argentine media to be involved in yesterday's deals. Such ownership arrangements are not illegal, either in South America, or in Britain.
source : The Independent