[5] In 2009 it was reported that the unnamed investors represented by Joorabchian were understood to own the economic rights to 60 or 70 players across Europe and South America.

[6] He became involved in the stock market and fund management, moving to New York City and establishing an investment company, American Capital LLC, based in Manhattan but registered in Delaware.

After a month Kommersant's ownership passed to the oligarch Boris Berezovsky,[13] who was widely suspected to have been behind American Capital's bid for the paper, something denied by Joorabchian who was said to have given assurances that he was not working on anyone else's behalf.

The Tevez transfer was brokered by the Argentinian football agent Fernando Hidalgo, who was a partner in the company HAZ Sports with Pini Zahavi.

[3] In 2005 the Georgian businessman and owner of Dinamo Tbilisi, Badri Patarkatsishvili, a close associate of Berezovsky, told a journalist that they had indeed invested in Corinthians.

[13] In 2007, following allegations that Corinthians had been used to launder money, a Brazilian judge, Faustus Martins de Sanctis, ordered the arrest of Berezovsky, Joorabchian, Nojan Bedroud, cofounder of MSI, and four officials of club, including the chairman, Alberto Dualib.

[17] MSI responded by saying that the judge's actions were "absurd, arbitrary and lacking legal backing",[17] while Joorabchian denied any wrongdoing and maintained that all payments made to Corinthians were "cleared through and approved by the Brazilian Central Bank".

"In this case, there is no proof of a single offense, nor is it pointed out that the alleged group ever have had any intention or interest in the committing any crimes," added the judge.

[33] Although the capture of Tevez and Mascherano was reported[25] as a major coup for West Ham, the third-party ownership of the players proved highly controversial.

[41][42] Joorabchian maintained that MSI and Just Sports Inc retained the economic rights to the player and that the deal had been negotiated with the "knowledge and permission" of West Ham.

[43] Asked for a ruling by the Football Association and the Premier League, FIFA judged that the matter should be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

MSI and Just Sports Inc then issued a writ in order to "compel West Ham to release the registration of Carlos Tevez in accordance with contracts entered into between the parties".

[44] The threat of action in the High Court was avoided by a settlement that saw West Ham receive a fee of £2 million for Tévez's registration.

[45] The terms of the transfer saw Manchester United agree a two-year deal in which Tevez's registration was leased by the club while his economic rights were retained by his third-party owners.

Manchester United paid £3–4 million a year for Tevez's commercial and football rights for the duration of the lease and secured the first option on a permanent transfer.

[46] In September 2009 Tevez signed for Manchester City in a deal removing him from third-party ownership sometimes reported as being worth £47 million to the companies owning his economic rights,[47] although that amount was disputed by Joorabchian who called the story "inaccurate and misleading".

Joorabchian claimed that he brokered a resolution between West Ham and the two companies, MSI and Just Sports Inc, who owned the player's economic rights and who initially refused to cancel that third-party arrangement as requested by the Premier League as part of their findings of April 2007.

[45] Joorabchian's allegation that Tevez received a salary and expenses other than that paid to him by West Ham, would –were those payments to have been met by a third party– have breached the Premier League's regulations.

[49] Tevez's ownership and the role of Joorabchian in English football remained highly controversial throughout the period up to the player's transfer to Manchester City in September 2009.

[4] Press reports connected Joorabchian to City's signing of Robinho in 2008 and suggested that he was exercising a wider influence over the shape of City's transfer policy, specifically in attempting to bring a single megastar to the club to reflect a changed status under the ownership of Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, rather than build a side of proven Premier League performers.

[4] Joorabchian was involved in the leaking of Carlos Tevez's transfer request to Manchester City on 11 December 2010, by revealing the news to the Sunday Mirror newspaper.

[54] On 12 January 2010, it was reported by outlets such as ESPN that Joorabchian had been appointed to the position of "Football Advisor" at the club, and would be leading a clear-out of players, bringing in talented youth from around the world.

[57] Joorabchian is the sole director of Sports Invest UK Limited, with registered FIFA agent Nojan Bedroud.