The Football Agent Working Group, established by FIFA to act as a permanent consultative body for football agency matters, including the practical implementation of the new regulatory framework, has held its first meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland. A total of 18 representatives of professional football stakeholders and agent organisations from across the world attended the meeting, which was opened by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who stressed that the regulations were needed to protect the integrity of football and the proper functioning of the football transfer system.

During the meeting, the working group was updated on the implementation of the FIFA Football Agent Regulations, the licensing process and the first-ever football agent exam on 19 April 2023, which saw 1,962 candidates, equivalent to 52% of the 3,800 who took the exam, obtaining the required mark to receive a licence to provide agent services in the context of transfers worldwide. “With the FIFA Football Agent Regulations having entered into force in January, this was a key opportunity to discuss the feedback from many agents across the world about the implementation process,” said FIFA Chief Legal & Compliance Officer Emilio García Silvero. “We would like to thank all the participants for the constructive and open dialogue and remain committed to future exchanges with a view to constantly improving the legal framework for agents.” The working group is enshrined in the FIFA Football Agent Regulations, which has introduced basic international service standards for FIFA football agents and their clients, including limiting multiple representation to avoid conflicts of interest and introducing a cap on agent fees to reinforce contractual stability, promote solidarity, protect the integrity of the transfer system and achieve greater financial transparency.

“I welcome this dialogue with FIFA and the other football stakeholders on matters that impact the future of our profession. We are in a transitional phase with the introduction of new regulations, so it is important that they take on board our feedback and the different perspectives from the football industry around the world,” said José Luis Díaz Arin, Union of Intermediary Football Agents (Americas; UAIFA) president. “This new working group is a positive development as it shows that FIFA understands that agents have a key role to play in the transfer system. We will not always agree on everything, but we can make our voice heard and bring our input to the discussion, based on our deep knowledge of the day to day working of the global market,” said Michael Sodeke, African Football Agents Association president. Following a transitional period, the use of licensed football agents for transfers will become compulsory from 1 October 2023. Further details are available here.