2022: A New Dawn for Football Agents?
By John Print
On the 1 January 2022 FIFA will finally confirm the new Football Agents regulations, that will be enforced in June (2022).
FIFA have long battled with how to manage the agent industry. In 2008, FIFA first strengthened their regulations. But the complex rules and tough entry requirements created an environment for unlicensed agents and an industry out of control.
To solve the problem, FIFA u-turned on their approach. In 2015, the agent licensing system and Agent were no more. Instead, FIFA opted for a minimum set of standards allowing an influx of new unqualified ‘Intermediaries’ into football transfer market.
6 years on, FIFA has performed another of those U-turns to try and solve the football agent problem, with the introduction of another set of tougher regulations for an industry worth over 530 million euros in 2020. It is expected that these new FIFA Agent regulations will include:
- Return to the FIFA Agent Exam
- Criminal record check and an annual fee
- Agents / Clubs required to submit representation contracts into FIFA’s transfer matching system (TMS)
- FIFA to issue an Agent Licence to conduct business on a worldwide basis
- Annual CPD delivered by National Football Associations
One of the most controversial part of the new regulations concerns how agents will earn their money. It has been widely discussed that FIFA are looking to introduce commission caps and a bid to improve transparency, a FIFA Payment Clearing house. The breakdown of proposed commission caps could be set as below:
- Agent acting for selling club – 10% of transfer fee.
- Agent acting for buying club – 3% of the player’s salary.
- Agent acting for the player – 3% of the player’s salary.
- Agent acting for both player and buying club – 6% of the player’s salary
It has been argued that the introduction of commission caps could be divisive to the success of FIFA’s new Agent regulations. Agents would need to move their clients more often, to earn the same commission as they do now. It would also be detrimental to lower-league clubs and players because the commissions payable would not allow either party to receive dedicated advice management, due to economies of scale pressures.
But for agents, it is not all bad news. One area that FIFA is looking to address is to prohibit an agent from stealing clients from those with a valid representation contract. It will be interesting to see how far FIFA goes to protect and verify the ‘Player Agent’ relationship. Introducing sanctions for agents that look to steal clients, would go a long way to ensure validity of the representation contract.
FIFA’s U-turn to introduce new Agent regulations is needed. It is in the best interests of players, clubs, and their representatives to find a better way to work in a global marketplace. Our hope is that the new FIFA Agents regulations deliver for all parties. There is a demand in the industry for the new regulations to empower football agents to perform their role professionally, ethically, and globally. If this achieved, then it really could really be a new dawn for the football industry.
Interested in becoming a football/soccer agent?
Sports Management have trained sports agents, online, for over 20 years.
The 8-week Soccer Agent course you will learn the skills and knowledge required to become a success in the international football industry.
For more information, please visit the link below:
Sports Management Worldwide – International Football / Soccer Agent Course
Interested in developing a career in football / soccer?
If you are a player, agent or interested in developing a career in the football industry, get in touch for some independent advice on the details below;
John Print
Office Tel: +44 (0)20 7993 2145
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