FA deadlocked over management deal

THE FA are facing two years of deadlock over their plans to take control of the commercial activities of the England players when on international duty.

Chief executive Martin Glenn has given notice to the Team England agents 1966 Entertainment that the FA will not be renewing their contract when it expires after the 2018 World Cup.

1966, under the control of David Beckham’s former personal manager Terry Byrne, have managed the England players for FA sponsorships and personal appearances for over a decade.

But the FA do not want to go through a third party to negotiate with the England squad, hoping that by bringing the process in-house they can maximise players’ exposure during international weeks, including with the media.

But an impasse is likely because 1966’ s management contract with Team England — negotiated directly by the players — runs until after the European Championship in 2020, so they will be involved for two more seasons at least.

record spend in the summer transfer window will once again focus attention on the money that agents will be taking out of the game. Fortunately for the middlemen, they have an eloquent union chairman in Mike Miller, former International Rugby Board chief executive and BBC TV and C4 head of sport. Miller said: ‘Agents provide a valuable service and it is right that they are paid accordingly. Of course, the focus is on the larger sums, but they reflect the market and do not tell the story of all the hard work and diligence that goes on behind the scenes.’