In foreign direct investment(FDI, sometimes referred to simply as direct investment, the investor takes a controlling interest in a foreign company. When for example, U.S. investors bought the Liverpool Football Club, it became a U.S. FDI in United Kingdom. Control need not be a 100 percent or even a 50 percent interest; if a foreign investor holds a minority stake and the remaining ownership is widely dispersed, no other owner may effectively counter the investor's decisions. When two or more companies share ownership of an FDl, the operation is a joint venture. (There are also non-equity joint ventures)