Agents get their own middleman

FOOTBALL agents are braced for a shake-up in the next 12 months.

FIFA are to clamp down on intermediaries with a new set of rules on commission, dual representation, exam entry, education and mandatory licensing.

It is effectively a U-turn on deregulation of agents from five years ago, when it was left up to national associations to oversee agents. It has not worked.

And now a leading football agent, Dr Erkut Sogut (top), has helped to set up the Professional Football Agents Association

(PROFAA) to give agents a voice during discussions.

Sogut, who represents Arsenal star Mesut Ozil (inset), says there should be regulation, but that agents must have a say.

PROFAA started out with 50 members, but it is growing every day and now has around 100.

Sogut told Mirror Sport: “We need to have a voice, like players with FIFPRO, like clubs with the ECA, so we can have a say and a seat at the table.

“Generally, I think you need regulation for agents because we play such an important role, which sometimes people underestimate.

“I think maybe it’s good to have it centralised because we’ve seen in the last five years that it didn’t work out.

“I think they do need an exam to present some knowledge, and there’s other things that can be discussed – for example, commission and why an agent who has represented a player for years can earn only three per cent on the player side but 10 per cent from the club.

“We want to have a democratic organisation, share ideas, help young agents and educate, which is something I am really passionate about. We are strong, we are educated and we will be powerful.”

What sometimes gets lost in unfair stereotyping of agents is how good the best ones are.

Yes, they can be ruthless, but they are also confidants to the players and guide their careers. Their relationship is like a father-son. Top players generally have an outstanding agent.

THE start date of the 2020/21 Premier League season is still being discussed – but it could yet be as early as next month.

Prem clubs have their next meeting on Thursday, y when the topic will come up again with the weekends of September

12 or 19 the most likely dates. But with so much pressure to get the season done and to squeeze all the dates and fixtures in, there is still some talk about August even if it seems unlikely given how short the break will be.

ENGLAND could get a taste of a brave new world for football as their Nations League opponents Iceland are expectingfto

allow fans for their meeting in Reykjavik in September.

There have been very few cases in Iceland, although it is still not certain as to whether England fans will be able to travel.

TELEVISION deals are normally out to tender until 18 months before they kick in, so the next set of Premier League rights should be due for discussion from January 2021.

That would mean about two months of negotiations and the next TV deal being in place for August 2022.

But TV insiders wonder if the negotiation process could be delayed as the Premier League’s fear is the pandemic could potentially impact upon their worth.

Would too many games mean football overkill? And TV companies will be strapped for cash and may have to wait till the market returns to some sort of normality.