Players to pay agents' fees

[Phil O'Sophical]

About bloody time - in future players will have to pay their own agent's fees, not the club. Hopefully this will reduce agents trying to engineer moves for their own benefit.

From the Beeb

League hails cut in agents' fees

Between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006 League clubs engaged in 3,284 player transactions
Of these, clubs paid an agent's fee in 356 cases
League clubs collectively paid £7,660,028 in agents fees
Championship clubs paid £6.31m (82%) of this total
League 1 and League 2 clubs paid £955,000 and £184,000 respectively
Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney has praised the reduction that clubs have made in payments to agents.
In total, £7.66m was handed to players' representatives last season, a fall of £160,000 on the previous 12 months, according to a Football League report.

Lord Mawhinney said: "It is encouraging that clubs spent £160,000 less on payments to agents than was the case last year.

"I hope the regular, half-yearly publication of these fees has helped."

Lord Mawhinney expressed his concerns in July 2005 that too much transfer cash was being siphoned off by agents in transfer dealings.

But since then the League has moved to tighten up the way payments are made in an effort to bring more transparency to the game.

The League already obliges its member clubs in the Championship and League One and Two to produce a list every six months of payments to agents.

And they hope two other changes will lead to an even greater reduction in agents' fees.

Firstly, there will be no "dual representation" - an agent will have to represent either the club or the player.

I applaud clubs for their willingness to enter into this debate and for making changes that will deliver greater levels of transparency and integrity to transfer negotiations.

Secondly, agents will no longer be able to pass on to clubs the costs of representing a player.

Lord Mawhinney added: "I applaud clubs for their willingness to enter into this debate and for making changes that will deliver greater levels of transparency and integrity to transfer negotiations.

"Publication certainly has been a catalyst for a wider debate about the role of agents in football.

"In turn, this has paved the way for the League to introduce new regulations governing how agents' operate."

Leeds were the Football League's biggest spenders with an outlay of £604,800, closely followed by Southampton with £575,000.

Oxford, who were relegated from the Football League in May, spent more on fees than any other club in League Two, paying £15,800.

[celery stick]

Very good news for the game.
If only the Premiership would follow suit.