Clubs cynical about football agents' plan to self-regulate - 7M sport

Clubs cynical about football agents' plan to self-regulate



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Posted Friday, November 12, 2010 by theguardian.com

Clubs cynical about football agents' plan to self-regulate
Association of Football Agents chairman Mel Stein may struggle to convince clubs agents can self-regulate.

As Fifa prepares to abandon its responsibility for policing the activities of transfer middlemen, first revealed here, the Association of Football Agents is working on a system of self-regulation. However its efforts look like foundering on the scepticism of clubs.

The AFA's chairman, Mel Stein – a solicitor – is drawing up what his organisation believes would provide a standard charter for all agents. The AFA's ambition is for agents to be permitted to conduct transfer business only if they adhere to that standard.

The AFA held a meeting last month with the Football Association's general secretary, Alex Horne, and David Newton, its head of financial regulation. The FA is prepared to facilitate a wider summit involving the AFA, the Professional Footballers' Association, the Premier League and the Football League.

But it is here that the AFA's plans face a potentially destructive obstacle. Fifa has distributed a set of guidelines to the FA and the leagues, which will place the responsibility on clubs and players for regulating the activity of agents. This reduces the FA's room for manoeuvre, since it cannot be seen to override a Fifa directive limiting its role in regulation.

And clubs are concerned that although major market players such as Wasserman Media Group, First Artist Sport, Sports and Entertainment Network, James Grant Group and Base Soccer are involved at board level of the AFA, other senior agents refuse to join the organisation. With Fifa having decided to relinquish its role in the area next October, the leagues are holding consultations of their own, and so far there is little enthusiasm for the AFA's plans.

Scudamore on tour with (salary) cap in hand

Might a salary cap be introduced in the Premier League next summer? Richard Scudamore, the organisation's chief executive, is conducting a tour of all 20 Premier League clubs to discuss with their owners, chairmen, secretaries and finance directors the financial regulations that govern them. In the wake of the Portsmouth catastrophe earlier this year, the League introduced more stringent financial rules. Clubs have since been required to provide future financial information and tax arrears are prohibited. Now Scudamore is reviewing these measures, as well as Uefa's financial fair-play initiative, in a series of meetings with his shareholder clubs.

One element that has been discussed is the introduction of a salary cap, which has the support of the champions, Chelsea, and Liverpool. But if so radical a measure is to be introduced it will require the support of 14 Premier League clubs and that is far from guaranteed. There is even a difference of opinion within the big four: although Arsenal's board has no fixed position on the matter, the manager, Arsène Wenger is ideologically opposed. Scudamore will take soundings from all the clubs individually before gauging whether there is an appetite for more reform; if there is he will draw up new proposals for a vote at next summer's AGM.

Gloom for Wednesday

The Wednesday Til I Die group of Sheffield Wednesday fans has held a meeting with the Co-operative Bank with a proposal that seeks a controlling stake for supporters in the stricken club. WTID is engaged in a fund-raising exercise and hopes to bring wealthy individuals to the table.

But there remain only three full working days before the club is due in the high court to face a winding-up petition from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs over some £600,000 in unpaid employee taxes. That timetable looks prohibitive. Still more of an obstacle is the fact that the Co-op referred WTID's proposal to its board, which is entirely dismissive of the idea. Regrettably the club's sole chance of survival rests with unknown bidders whose means of paying for the club remain unclear.

Eurocrat at Emirates

Peter Scudamore and Arsenal's chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, will meet with the European Commissioner responsible for sport, Androulla Vassiliou, tomorrow. Scudamore will press the case for how broadcast and gambling income might better contribute to sport, particularly in the grassroots realm. Then Gazidis will escort her on a visit to the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal's community projects. He will be doing so fresh from a night of sleeping rough in aid of the homeless charity, Centrepoint: fortunately the Emirates dressing rooms are equipped with some nice showers.



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