Got this from today's Sun in a piece written by Simon Jordan, former Crystal Palace owner and now part-time journalist and Talk Sport broadcaster. Now I know that Jordan divides opinion because he's very outspoken but I have to say that, whilst I don't always agree with him, he very often speaks good sense and makes some sound points. His 'rant' today was directed at football agents and I am in total agreement with what he writes. The entire article is far too long to produce here, so I've extracted some of the prose for your attention. If you want it all then, as I said, it's in today's Sun newspaper. I just LOVE the opening line. 
Capitals are mine for emphasis.
Football agents are evil, divisive scum. Once upon a time I made this proclamation and it ensured a thousand headlines during my ten years as an owner. I found certain agents to be predatory flesh traders whose sole focus (when not carrying young players' manbags) was to create division between clubs and players, with the motivation being money.
In the nine years since I left the boardroom, has the landscape changed? Have my views softened? No! Football has systematically refused to deal with agents. Instead of regulating them like the mid 2000s, football has loosened control over the business as even more money poured in. Agents can act with what is called duality working for both a club and a player - and get paid from both ends.
Once outlawed this now causes all manner of conflicts. At the centre of 90% of controversies, conflicts and corruption in football is the involvement of agents. There can be managers or chief execs offered incentives to buy a player at a certain price, players egged on to quit clubs, parents given cash and houses and other clubs used as stalking horses for fictitious deals.
I had issues with certain agents, mostly over dividing our club and our player. But also with sharp practices such as WAYNE ROUTLEDGE, one of my young Crystal Palace players, being induced into an agency deal while on England Under-17 duty................................
The agency world IS THE ONLY PART THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE ANY FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO FOOTBALL. They are still not regulated properly and it's like the Wild West. If I had my way, PLAYERS WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN AGENTS like we do estate agents. Agents should also pay a proportion of the revenues as a levy back into the football system.
THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS SHOULD BE AUDITED SO PEOPLE TAKING BACKHANDERS CAN BE EASILY TRACKED. And players should be held accountable for the actions and behaviour of their representatives.
Could this happen any time soon? Well blow me down..... FIFA are putting forward proposals for agents to be re-regulated and FEES CAPPED. It's not quite the hung, drawn and quartering I would like - but it's a start.
I like the tone of this article most of which makes absolute sense to me. For instance, if agents were forced to pay a percentage of their vast earnings back into football, this could be distributed to clubs to fund lower ticket prices, improve disabled access and facilities etc or the money could be used by lower league clubs to finance their youth teams to increase the flow of home spun talent into the game. There would be all kinds of benefits to be had from such a scheme.
Anyway, much food for thought and I hope that FIFA use sharpened claws to deal with these bloodsuckers.
Capitals are mine for emphasis.Football agents are evil, divisive scum. Once upon a time I made this proclamation and it ensured a thousand headlines during my ten years as an owner. I found certain agents to be predatory flesh traders whose sole focus (when not carrying young players' manbags) was to create division between clubs and players, with the motivation being money.
In the nine years since I left the boardroom, has the landscape changed? Have my views softened? No! Football has systematically refused to deal with agents. Instead of regulating them like the mid 2000s, football has loosened control over the business as even more money poured in. Agents can act with what is called duality working for both a club and a player - and get paid from both ends.
Once outlawed this now causes all manner of conflicts. At the centre of 90% of controversies, conflicts and corruption in football is the involvement of agents. There can be managers or chief execs offered incentives to buy a player at a certain price, players egged on to quit clubs, parents given cash and houses and other clubs used as stalking horses for fictitious deals.
I had issues with certain agents, mostly over dividing our club and our player. But also with sharp practices such as WAYNE ROUTLEDGE, one of my young Crystal Palace players, being induced into an agency deal while on England Under-17 duty................................
The agency world IS THE ONLY PART THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE ANY FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO FOOTBALL. They are still not regulated properly and it's like the Wild West. If I had my way, PLAYERS WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN AGENTS like we do estate agents. Agents should also pay a proportion of the revenues as a levy back into the football system.
THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS SHOULD BE AUDITED SO PEOPLE TAKING BACKHANDERS CAN BE EASILY TRACKED. And players should be held accountable for the actions and behaviour of their representatives.
Could this happen any time soon? Well blow me down..... FIFA are putting forward proposals for agents to be re-regulated and FEES CAPPED. It's not quite the hung, drawn and quartering I would like - but it's a start.
I like the tone of this article most of which makes absolute sense to me. For instance, if agents were forced to pay a percentage of their vast earnings back into football, this could be distributed to clubs to fund lower ticket prices, improve disabled access and facilities etc or the money could be used by lower league clubs to finance their youth teams to increase the flow of home spun talent into the game. There would be all kinds of benefits to be had from such a scheme.
Anyway, much food for thought and I hope that FIFA use sharpened claws to deal with these bloodsuckers.
