FA announces new rules on agents

The Football Association is to introduce new rules preventing agents from acting for more than one party.

The Football Agents Regulations come into effect on Saturday and include guidelines on dual representation, nepotism and overseas agents.

The agents themselves are unhappy - saying they were not consulted enough.

But the FA has admitted it only has limited powers on dealing with third-party ownership, claiming the issue needs to be addressed by Fifa.

Overseas agents will have to register with the FA if they are going to deal with English clubs and they will not be able to do business with any club that employs a close family member.

606: DEBATE Has the FA gone far enough?

The new regulations are designed to increase transparency and stamp out malpractice in the sport by implementing a framework to which all agents operating in England must adhere.

FA director of governance Jonathan Hall said: "We believe these regulations are fair and balanced. They are a significant step forward in governing this area of the game.

"If we think there is some wrongdoing then we will investigate. Specialists are in place to examine anything that appears dubious."

The FA has wide-ranging powers to punish any breach of the regulations, from docking points from clubs to suspending an agent's license, with sanctions imposed according to the severity of the offence.

The issue of third-party ownership of players has come into the spotlight since Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez's controversial arrival in English football.

Some provision has been made within the new rules through 'registration rights', which is a blanket prohibition on agents owning an interest, either directly or indirectly, in the registration rights of a player.

The FA admits concerns over registration rights must be cleared up, but insists it has only limited power to act and is waiting for Fifa to take the lead.

Hall said: "Third party ownership is more a matter for Fifa. It is an international issue.

Agents have got a bad reputation, but we're talking about multi-nillion pound companies, and the people who run these are not amateurs Chris Heaton Harris, Association of Football Agentsl

"This is a big issue that needs to be addressed internationally. It will not be solved by a set of FA regulations. But we are taking the steps we can in this matter.

"This is a broader issue than agents and it can't be addressed overnight. It's extremely complicated and very international.

Chris Heaton Harris, vice chairman of the Association of Football Agents (AFA) said: "Agents are happy to be properly regulated, they want to earn a living like everyone else and dialogue is the way forward.

"We had no input into the drafting of regulations, they are being imposed on us.

"Had there been decent dialogue, this could have been sorted.

"Some of these regulations are good, some are not so good, and some of them will simply not work in the context of the modern game.

"Agents have got a bad reputation, but we're talking about multi-nillion pound companies, and the people who run these are not amateurs.

"I think some of the regulations, such as those involving family members, will not hold up if challenged legally.

"Lots of players are represented by their fathers or siblings, and these regulations could go against European restraint of trade laws."

Hall refuted the claims, saying: "We have engaged in an extensive consultation process with all sectors of the game, including players, clubs, and agents.

"The AFA have been consulted on an on-going basis over the past 18 months, including face-to-face meetings with us and a regular exchange of letters and e-mails.

"We are aware of their views, and we have sought to take a balanced approach to ensure that the regulations are in the best interests of the game as a whole."