FIFA’s Football Agent Regulations (FFAR), updated as of October 2023, aim to create a more transparent, regulated environment for football agents and agencies. These new regulations emphasize integrity, player protection, and legal compliance in football transfers and representation, with a focus on key areas such as licensing, minors’ representation, commission caps, and partnerships.

FIFA Licensing: A Mandatory Requirement

Under the current regulations, any agent involved in international transfers must hold a FIFA license. This is non-negotiable—no agent can act in these dealings without it. While exceptions exist for domestic transfers in countries like Germany and Brazil, international transactions must be handled by a licensed agent. Non-licensed individuals, such as family members or lawyers, are only allowed to represent players in international transfers if they partner with a licensed intermediary.

This is critical for ensuring that all those involved in football negotiations have the necessary qualifications and are subject to FIFA’s disciplinary oversight. Licensing ensures agents can handle both the legal and logistical aspects of player representation in a global market.

Minors and Representation: Extra Precautions

The representation of minors is one of the most strictly controlled areas under FIFA’s regulations. Agents are prohibited from approaching minors or their legal guardians until six months before the minor is legally allowed to sign a professional contract. Even then, any interaction must be preceded by explicit written consent from the minor’s legal guardian. These provisions are designed to prevent the exploitation of young athletes, ensuring that minors are not prematurely pressured into career decisions. Agents dealing with minors must also complete additional professional training.

Commission Caps: Pending Enforcement

FIFA’s proposed commission caps have sparked debate, with the aim to reduce excessive agent fees. The proposed limits are set at 3% of a player’s salary for player-side representation and up to 10% of a transfer fee when representing a selling club. However, these caps are not yet enforced due to legal challenges in various countries. FIFA’s initiative remains part of a broader effort to bring financial fairness and transparency to football deals. Although agencies can currently negotiate their fees, future compliance will be necessary once these caps are implemented.

The Agent Portal: An Upcoming Compliance Tool

FIFA is in the process of rolling out a central digital platform for the registration of all agent-related activities, including contracts, representation agreements, and partnerships. Once this portal becomes operational, all agreements and transfers must be uploaded within 14 days, drastically increasing compliance oversight. While the platform is not yet live, it is expected to bring about a new era of transparency, making it vital for agents and agencies to fully align with FIFA’s rules.

This portal will heighten the importance of compliance, as it will track every aspect of agent transactions and partnerships. With this system in place, even partnerships between agents and non-licensed intermediaries will be subject to scrutiny, with full disclosure required.

Partnerships and Representation

While partnerships between agents and agencies are allowed under FIFA’s guidelines, they must be clearly documented and registered. Any agency collaboration for representing players, especially in international transfers, must be formalized, and all involved agents must be either FIFA-licensed or in partnership with a licensed intermediary. Agencies need to ensure that partnerships are publicly acknowledged to meet transparency standards.

Conclusion: Staying Compliant

For any agency operating in this space, staying ahead of FIFA’s compliance demands is critical. As the Football Agent Regulations continue to evolve, agencies must ensure that they work within these frameworks, especially as enforcement ramps up with the upcoming agent portal. This requires careful attention to licensing, partnerships, and transparency in representation agreements.

At Evytal® Sports Management, we maintain full compliance with FIFA’s regulations. As a fully licensed agency, we are equipped to handle both international and domestic transfers, ensuring that all transactions adhere to the latest regulatory standards. Our licensed agents are also trained to represent minors responsibly, ensuring that young athletes’ best interests are always prioritized. By working within FIFA’s framework, we provide professional and transparent representation, safeguarding our players’ careers globally.

If you have any questions or need further clarification on any of these steps, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Evytal Sports Managment (ESM) to support your Non-FIFA Registered Agency (NFRA) and its football related practices and make sure that efforts continue to yield successful outcomes.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Sven Jason Willemsen MSc MA
FIFA Registered Agent

Evytal Sports Management
Address: HQ Netherlands, Amsterdam/Harderwijk  
Email: hello@evytal.com
Website: www.evytal.com

Notice of Intellectual Property and Copyright Protection

The information contained in this document/material is the intellectual property of Evytal® and is protected by copyright laws and other relevant intellectual property rights. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, or disclosure of this information, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Evytal®. Any breach of these rights may result in legal action.