How to become a football agent in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In conversations about football, the topics of money, commerce, contracts are involuntarily touched upon. Who ensures a stable future for athletes? These people are called agents. They play the role of accountants, diplomats, lawyers, while trying to remain in the shadows. Who are these mysterious people? How to become a football agent?

Introduction to the profession

The first agents in football appeared in the 70s of the twentieth century in the West. By signing an agreement with an athlete, they took responsibility for his finances and career. Of course, how good the results will be depends on professional competence and honesty. To support a high level of specialists in this field, FIFA established the Institute of Football Agents. Here they take exams for aptitude, knowledge of foreign languages, and jurisprudence. Usually, former footballers who are well aware of the activities of team sports and the peculiarities of communication with current players become agents.

In Russia, there is also an institute for such specialists, after which they receive a certificate from the RFU. The license of a football agent gives the right to work notonly in their own country, but also in other states, and also ensures transparency of actions. Currently, there are about 150 professionals in this field who have completed their studies in the Russian Federation. Not only specialists, but also their relatives can represent the interests of athletes. So, the affairs of the famous football player Ronaldinho are handled by his brother, and the Riise brothers are taken care of by their mother, Berit Riise.

Features of the speci alty in Russia

In our country, this profession appeared in the early 90s of the twentieth century. Along with licensed agents, non-professionals began to work, who often deceived their clients for their own benefit. The first organization in Russia that had the right to sell our athletes abroad was Sovintersport. Unfortunately, most of the wages went to the state, so football players and hockey players received little money. So, for the defender of the USSR national team Vagiz Khidiyatullin, who left for France, the country received 29 thousand monthly from his salary of 30 thousand dollars.

Konstantin Sarsania has become a pioneering agent in our country. The former football player is still on the list of the International Football Federation. At the moment he works as a coach. V. Panchenko, D. Gradilenko, A. Novgorodov also became professional agents from a number of former football players.

Rules for obtaining a license

How to become a football agent? Who has the right to call himself an expert in this field? To get such a position, you must:

- have the citizenship of the country where the license is requested;

- not be a lawbreaker;

- successfully pass a special FIFA test.

The fee for the exam is set by the football federation of the country where the test takes place. It ranges from 100 to 1000 euros. Two attempts are allowed per year.

After meeting all the conditions and obtaining a license, the agent is obliged to pay FIFA for the right to work with clients from 1,000 to 10,000 euros. Also, the local football federation presents its conditions.

License Exam

Before the future agent goes for testing, he needs to make a contribution in the amount of 100 thousand rubles. This money goes to cover the costs of organizing and implementing the exam. The fee is non-refundable. The day before the test, there is usually a one-day workshop. For all questions regarding the examination, please contact the legal department of the Russian Football Union. A number of documents must be submitted to this unit.

The exam includes twenty multiple-choice questions. The test is based on the following materials:

1. FIFA Charter, which was adopted in 2012.
2. Statutes for the application of the FIFA Statutes.
3. FIFA regulations on the status and transfers of football players.
4. Rules on player status and transfers.
5. Regulations of FIFA football players' agents.
6. Rules that govern the procedures of the Players' Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber.
7. FIFA Disciplinary Code.

Questions from the International Federation of Football Associations come in English, which are translated by the international department of the Russian Football Union.

Features of obtaining a license in our country

How to become a football agent in the Russian Federation? To do this, you need to contact the relevant organization. The RFU gives the right to obtain a professional certificate upon submission of certificates from the psycho-neurological dispensary, the police, which indicate that the future agent does not suffer from mental illness and has no criminal record. You also need to buy an insurance policy, the price of which is 100,000 Swiss francs. Money is insurance in cases of litigation. Next, you need to draw up a statement of readiness to comply with the code of honor.

Here's how to become a football agent! But are the documents provided sufficient? A prerequisite, as already mentioned, is the successful passing of a special exam. It is accepted by the commission consisting of seven people. It includes representatives of the Professional Football League, the RFU Legal Committee, the Russian Football Premier League.

How to find a football agent?

What steps do you need to take to find a good specialist? First, you need to contact the association of football agents. Here you can choose the appropriate option and draw up a contract. Secondly, remember that a professional agent must take responsibility for resolving legal issues, working with employment contracts,act as a consultant, intermediary in the transfer and sports activities of the client. Thirdly, you should carefully consider the education of a specialist, work experience.

Agent's fee is no more than 10 percent of a player's income. If the athlete is under 16 years old, then the rate is reduced to 3 percent. The specialist bears the costs of the flight and organization of meetings with representatives of football clubs.

Agencies

To get an answer to the question of how to find a football agent, you can contact the association, which brings together all licensed football specialists of the RFU. It was created in 2004. The purpose of the AFA is the cooperation of agents, the development of football, as well as the football industry in the Russian Federation. The Association of Football Agents facilitates the interaction of agents with the International Federation of Football Associations, the Russian Football Union, the European Football Union, the Russian Football Premier League. The Association of Football Agents includes A. Minasov, A. Zotov, S. Bazanov, O. Eremin, A. Tolstikov, A. Manyakov, O. Malezhik.

Football agents of Moscow and other Russian cities

One of the most influential experts in this field is Oleg Artemov. A. Arshavin, P. Pogrebnyak, R. Pavlyuchenko and others became his clients. The agent received a license in 2004. In Moscow, O. Artemov works for the German agency Dr. Oliver Wendt & Tomas Zorn.

Football agent D. Sychev, I. Denisov, V. Bystrov is Pavel Andreev. The specialist cooperates with the Zenit club.

In 2005, another well-known agent German Tkachenko founded ProSports Management. Previously, he led the Samara club "Wings". Then he became a representative of D. Kolodin, S. Leilton, A. Tikhonov. The specialist promotes the Anji brand, in which he is a member of the board of directors.

SA Agency created by Alexey Safonov focuses mainly on young football players. It is a partner of the Chertanovo school. The agency's client list includes Artem Dzyuba, Sergey Ryzhikov, Vladimir Granat, Alexei Medvedev and others.

Another well-known football organization ASA International, headed by Arsen Minasov, works with such clients as K. Zyryanov, V. Kulik, R. Shirokov, O. Vukoevich. The company is known on the international market, cooperates with Croatian players.

Professionals in CIS countries

How to become a football agent in Ukraine? First you need to have 8 thousand hryvnia on your account and numerous connections in football teams. In March and September of each year, examinations for obtaining a license are held. To be admitted to the knowledge test, you must submit the following documents to the Status and Transfers Committee:

- two types of passport: foreign and civil;

- identification code;

- work book;

- diploma of education;

- CV statement;

- certificate of residence;

- extracts from psychoneurological and narcological dispensaries;

- reference fromMIA;

- money contribution.

Candidates are checked for knowledge of the FIFA statutes and regulations on the status and transfers of football players, FIFA regulations on the activities of agents, FFU regulations on the work of agents. The obtained license is valid for five years and has an international status.

A mandatory condition for working as a football agent is the purchase of insurance. Its cost is about 10,350 hryvnia, and it is used only in case of litigation. The specialist also carries out annual insurance of his activities in the amount of 100 thousand Swiss francs.

Football agency in the Republic of Belarus

The conditions for obtaining a license in this country are the same as in other states. The agent must pass the exam. Of the twenty test questions, fifteen include topics on FIFA regulations, and five on ABFF requirements. Admission to the exam is received by persons with higher education. The prospective agent must provide certificates of no criminal record and proof of mental he alth. After the exam, the candidate concludes a liability insurance contract and signs a code of professional conduct.

Speaking about how to become a football agent in Belarus, it should be noted that relatives of athletes can also learn this profession, but they must be registered with the Association of the Belarusian Football Federation.

Unlicensed Agents

When you need a football agent, and the athlete does not have large sums, you have toturn to illegal specialists. Different people are engaged in unofficial business in our country, for example, club leaders, employees from sports departments and others. The regulation on the status and transfer of players of the Russian Football Union provides for sanctions against both clubs that work with unlicensed agents, and the players themselves who have concluded contracts with them. For the latter, the punishment usually looks like a warning, a fine of 250 thousand rubles or disqualification for up to 12 months. As for clubs, the fine for cooperation with an unlicensed agent is already 1 million rubles, it is also possible to transfer the organization to a lower division, withdraw points, and ban transfers for a certain period. Any transactions made in this case will be canceled.

Despite serious sanctions, football players and clubs continue to use the services of "bugs" (as agents without licenses are called). Why? Firstly, such workers pay less for services than professionals with a certificate. Secondly, with the help of a bug, the club can get rid of an unwanted player for its own benefit. There are other reasons as well.

Features of activity

The question of how to become a football agent in Moscow is very relevant today. A novice specialist needs to follow a number of rules that, if successfully implemented, can lead to the desired result.

1. At first, it is better to have one or two clients with whom it is imperative to maintain a personal relationship.contact.

2. Try to attend all football promotions where you need to make useful contacts.

3. Learn foreign languages.

4. Define the field of your activity.

5. Negotiate honestly.

6. Do not count on getting big money quickly.

7. Try to travel a lot to watch as many players as possible in action.

8. It is advisable to get intermediaries.

9. Show attention to the client.

10. Maintain good relations with journalists.

Conclusion

So now you know how to become a football agent in Russia. To do this, you need to have a certain amount in the account, not have problems with the law, and have good mental he alth. Higher education is required, especially legal or economic. And most importantly, what is required is to be able to communicate with people, strengthen ties and have public speaking skills.