Media release
Zurich, 1 March 2023
The Football Forum (TFF) was informed of a media release issued on 7 February 2023 by which an association called Union de Agentes y de Intermediarios de Futbol de America (UAIFA) (Union of Football Agents and Intermediaries of America) welcomes the approval of the new FIFA agents regulations (the Regulations).
TFF wishes to emphasize that there is no North- or South American football agent, among the countless with whom TFF has been in touch, who belongs or feels represented by UAIFA or may be in agreement with the latter’s position. That is, for instance, also (but not only) the case of the Associação Brasileira de Agentes de Futebol (ABAF), which is a TFF member and which has publicly stated its strong disagreement with UAIFA.
TFF observes that having a look at the entire “process” and the Regulations eventually approved, to which UAIFA claims to have contributed, the position of football agents became significantly worse, so that a question arises concerning a responsibility towards all football agents.
In this context, TFF takes the opportunity to reiterate its invite to FIFA to make all documents concerning (or at least the “drafts” of) the Regulations available to the public, which hasn’t happened thus far, so that everyone can draw her/his conclusion, in line with the transparency which FIFA has been repeatedly preaching but not practicing.
Finally, TFF observes that FIFA has created a weird entity called “Agents Working Group”, with respect to which a legitimate question arises as of the composition of such body, not least for the choice of those who are supposed to represent the agents’ interests and their independence. It must also be emphasized that while FIFA and its “Stakeholders’ Committee” are trying to impose the Regulations on agents, the latter are not granted the dignity of a “stakeholder”, and that the “Agents Working Group”, composed also by a number of subjects which are not agents, is only a consultive body which may be called to express its view only if and on the matters FIFA deems appropriate.
TFF, on its part, will continue to pursue the rights of football players and agents in any appropriate way and venue and take all necessary step against the Regulations.