Association of Football Agents claims 'livelihoods will be flushed down the drain' if governing bodies cap agent fees
The Association of Football Agents has warned its members that they face an unprecedented crisis that will “flush their livelihoods down the drain” as the sport’s governing bodies attempt to curb the rising influence of agents in football.
The AFA, the trade organisation for agents working in England, has called an emergency meeting of intermediaries based in the UK and Europe, saying changes to regulations will prevent them from “earning a living”.
Clubs, leagues and governing bodies have grown increasingly unhappy with the rising amount of money that is being paid to intermediaries who represent players. The Daily Telegraph revealed earlier this year that the Premier League and EFL had launched reviews into the regulation of football agents, while Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, said in February that he was “very concerned about the huge amount of money flowing out of the football industry”.
In the past year, Premier League clubs paid agents £211 million, an increase of £37m. Across the top five divisions, English clubs spent £257m on agent fees, also an increase of £37m.
In a panicked email to members, AFA chairman Mike Miller said that agents have “never before faced the issues our whole industry now faces”. He warned that football’s governing bodies are trying to place a cap on agent fees and put an end to the practice of “duality”, where an agent represents both a player and a club in a transaction. He also said changes to regulations could result in players having to pay agent fees that are often covered by clubs. Miller writes that governing bodies want to “put the onus on our player clients” to pay their agent’s fee.
The Daily Telegraph understands that a fourth stipulation, as part of regulation changes that could be imposed following research from Fifa and Uefa, may result in agent fees being limited to a daily rate. In his email, Miller said that representatives of the FA, the Premier League, the EFL and the National League are among those who have been invited to the emergency meeting, adding: “If invitations are declined then that will only underline the fact that the powers that be in football do not want to hear the voice of intermediaries, the voice of the people whose business they are seeking to restrict.
“Please do not just stand by and do nothing and watch your livelihood get flushed down the drain. If you don’t turn up to add your voice then it may well be too late to save our profession.”
Miller adds that the AFA is seeking legal help, suggesting that the association may attempt to challenge any regulation changes that could be imposed.
It is also understood that agent regulations were discussed at a meeting of Premier League shareholders last week. Fifa chose to deregulate the industry in 2015 but Infantino now appears committed to clamping down on the rising fees paid to agents. Fifa will this week meet with a select group of invited agents for discussions on how to clean up the industry.
Infantino said earlier this year that large transactions are “often not done in a clean, open manner and raise a lot of questions about potential misuse of funds. We have to tackle this issue. The curtains must be open.”
