Promoting and Supporting Good Governance in the European Football Agents Industry

The study “Promoting and Supporting Good Governance in the European Football Agents Industry” presents findings regarding the operation of the 2015 FIFA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries (RWWI), particularly in relation to the implementation of the regulations at National Association level across the territory of the EU. In this regard, our Final Report presents a comprehensive picture of how intermediary (agent) regulations have historically developed, how the 2015 RWWI have operated across the territory of the EU, encompassing 31 National Associations, why there is an EU dimension to this activity and it presents recommendations for reforming the system of agent regulation. Part way through our research, FIFA launched a Transfer System Task Force to consider possible reforms to the 2015 RWWI. Our study contributed to this process by providing evidence-based options and recommendations for future regulatory initiatives in the sector informed by principles of good governance. In that regard, the study presents a number of key reform recommendations, many of which have been agreed in principle by the Task Force. These include: a return to the use of the word ‘agent’ rather than ‘intermediary’; a focus on good governance and stakeholder representation when reforms are considered; an endorsement of FIFA’s regulatory jurisdiction in this area; a call for more uniformity of new regulations, a problem that blighted the 2015 RWWI; a return to a qualitative based licensing system for agents including an examination and ongoing education requirements; a limitation but not outright prohibition on multiple representation; consideration of regulatory measures designed to mitigate conflicts of interest; enhanced requirements when agents work with minors; the introduction of strong and effective enforcement powers; and the establishment of effective dispute resolution procedures. FIFA has indicated that the reform principles are to be transposed into new regulations for the 2021 football season. Our study ran alongside the work of the Task Force. We assisted its work by publishing an Interim Report, a series of Thematic Reports covering the key issues and a Final Report. A series of stakeholder workshops, staged throughout Europe, discussed the content of these publications. Our findings have been made public via publication on a dedicated website: www.ehu.ac.uk/eufootball Our Final Report is also published as a book and is available from the project lead.