FORMER FEMALE FOOTBALLER AIMS TO SCORE SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS AGENT

Evolving sport offers women opportunities to make their mark, Zineb Rechiche tells

In an industry dominated by men, a former professional in the women’s game says football agencies are ripe for change, as she looks to make her mark on the multibillion-dollar industry.

Zineb Rechiche, 34, played for a host of European and North American clubs before ending her career at Abu Dhabi Country Club – the first women’s team in the UAE.

Since retiring, the Moroccan citizen has turned her attention to business and recently qualified as a Fifa-licensed football agent, becoming one of the few female agents operating in the Middle East.

With a host of players now signed up, Ms Rechiche, who lives in Dubai, hopes to become a trailblazer for others looking to break into the glitzy world of professional football.

“I’ve been in the industry for 12 years while playing football, and because of my business background this made more sense than going into coaching,” she told The National.

“I started out in France and then moved to Canada to play professionally and continue my studies there. I did that for four years, played in Spain and later in the UAE and Switzerland.

“I wanted to link my financial expertise with what I’ve learnt and know about. Luckily, football is also my passion.

“Some of my players are in Europe, Spain and the UK in the Premier League, some are in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“They are scattered across the world and I’m in discussions to transfer some players to clubs in the US.

“There are more female agents coming into the game – I’ve met two or three so far, but it’s not an industry that attracts many women.”

As a former central defensive midfielder, Ms Rechiche is used to the tough tackles and hard graft required in a team’s engine room. She hopes that will serve her well in business.

During her career, Ms Rechiche played for teams including Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, FC Zurich and the Atlanta Silverbacks.

A trilingual finance degree from HEC Montreal business school and other qualifications from the Icade business school in Madrid led her to the General Electric financial management programme.

Along with her fluency in Arabic, Spanish, French and English, her studies allowed Ms Rechiche to connect with players in top leagues around the world to offer professional career advice.

World football’s governing body Fifa unveiled new rules for agents in October, demanding licensed agents pass an exam. It also aimed to set limits on how much football agents were paid.

The average annual salary in the Premier League last year was more than €3.1 million ($3.3 million), data analysis site Off The Pitch said.

Agents typically earn between 4 per cent and 10 per cent of a player’s salary, which means an agent could expect to earn between €124,000 and €310,000 on average for every Premier League client, although the wages of top stars vastly exceed these figures.

In the first round of tests, of the 3,800 candidates from 138 different Fifa associations, only 52 per cent scored enough to gain a licence.

However, global agencies railed against the plans and mounted legal challenges. This forced Fifa into a rethink, halting the introduction of the regulations.

Ms Rechiche – who represents male and female players – said the cut-throat industry needed regulation, but that anyone acting professionally could forge a successful career.

“As a player, when you start out at a young age, it is key to make the right decision to determine your path. Agents can help with that,” she said.

“Promising young players do not always reach their potential because of bad advice.

“It’s good Fifa is trying to tighten the industry. Before, some agents were very good, very professional but some were not.”

Ms Rechiche said that when she started out as a player, you could see only the occasional women’s match on TV.

“Now we see a lot of spotlight on women players as more games are broadcast and different championships are accessible to watch,” she said.

I wanted to link my financial expertise with what I’ve learnt and know about. Luckily, football is also my passion

ZINEB RECHICHE

Football agent