In 2023, FIFA introduced new regulations governing the profession of soccer players' agent. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the steps you need to take if you want to join this profession, and tell you everything you need to know about your future duties and commitments.
First, we tell you how to apply for your FIFA license online. Then we'll tell you what you need to know about the exam to obtain your license. And finally, we'll take a look at the profession of soccer players' agent itself, as well as the requirements you'll need to meet, particularly in terms of ongoing training, throughout your career.
How do I become a FIFA players' agent?
To become a FIFA players' agent, you need to :
- Apply for a license by following this link on the FIFA website: agents.fifa.com (this process is reserved for individuals, i.e. it is not available to you as a company).
- Meet FIFA's eligibility criteria (you can find them in detail in article 5 of the new regulations, and we have compiled a list for you below)
- Pass and obtain 75% on the FIFA exam
- Pay an annual membership fee
Persons already licensed under the old FIFA regulations (1995, 1998, 2001 and 2008 editions) can be exempted from the examination by providing proof of their license and registration as a FIFA intermediary.
FIFA's eligibility criteria are as follows:
- You must not make any false, misleading or incomplete statements
- Never have been found guilty in a criminal proceeding
- You must never have been suspended for at least two years, excluded or struck off for a breach of ethics or professional conduct.
- Not be a FIFA official or employee (the only exception to this rule concerns persons appointed or elected to a FIFA body, confederation or member association to represent the interests of agents)
- Have no interest in a club, academy, league or centralized league.
- In the 2 years prior to your licence application, never have been caught providing agent services without the required licence
- In the 5 years prior to your application for a license, have never declared or been personally declared bankrupt, or been a majority shareholder, director or officer of a company that has declared bankruptcy, gone into receivership and/or liquidation.
- During the 12 months prior to your application, you must not have had any interest in any entity, company or organization trading, organizing or managing sports betting activities for profit.
How does the FIFA exam to become a soccer player agent work?
The exam lasts 1 hour and is held at the location of your choice, as long as it is on the premises of a FIFA member association. You will need your own computer with an internet connection to take the exam online on the FIFA platform.
You must achieve a 75% pass rate on the exam, i.e. you must have at least 15 correct answers to the 20 questions put to you.
The exam takes the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire. Its aim is to test your knowledge of FIFA regulations and player transfers. You are welcome to bring your own study materials.
FIFA is proposing two examination sessions for the first year of the new regulations:
- May 22, 2024, if you submit your application on the FIFA platform between January 9 and March 31, 2024 ;
- and in November 2024. We will update this article as soon as we have information from FIFA.
In 2024 and 2025, there will still be 2 exam sessions per year, taking place in May and November (for online applications submitted before March 31 and before September 30).
The precise dates of the examination days will be set at a later date, visible on the FIFA website, and all candidates who have applied online in good time will be informed by circular.
What are the duties of a FIFA player agent?
Once you have passed the agent exam and are in possession of your FIFA license, you are authorized to work as a soccer players' agent.
Your main mission as an agent is to represent the soccer player, who becomes your client and you are responsible for the quality of the service he receives.
You become the intermediary between the player and all the clubs that approach him during his soccer career.
This implies that you must master certain skills:
- Carrying out negotiations in connection with the player's transfer;
- And manage all activities related to this type of transaction.
In this context, you'll have to deal with all communication prior to transfers, contract management, and you'll have to demonstrate complete transparency in your work, as well as in commission calculations, etc.
If the soccer player you represent is a minor, you will have to take specific training modules on representing minors and the jurisdiction in force on this subject in the player's country and the various countries where he or she may play.
What are the obligations of a FIFA player agent?
Once you have obtained your license, you undertake to comply with FIFA's regulations and statutes, its Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Code and the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which you can find on the FIFA website by clicking here.
In particular, you have a duty to:
- Act in the best interests of your client
- Avoid conflicts of interest in your services
- And to ensure that your client's contracts are always properly completed and compliant, with his name, license number, signature and your own name.
As a FIFA player agent, you must also:
- pay the annual fee payable by all licensees every year
- Always meet FIFA's eligibility criteria (article 5 of the FIFA Agents Regulations) when renewing your license application.
- be up to date with FIFA's continuing professional development requirements (more details in the last section of this article)
- Meet regular reporting obligations
- And to undertake to report any breaches of FIFA regulations and codes of conduct by members of a confederation or intermediary association.
FIFA players' agent training requirements
Alongside the new agent regulations, FIFA has also recently developed a training program to enable you to enhance your skills and keep up to date with changes in legislation, jurisdictional knowledge and other information required for the proper performance of your duties, throughout your future career as a players' agent.
Once you have obtained your license, you will be required each year to meet these professional training obligations within the FIFA program, in the form of modules which will be accessible online on the agents' platform.
You will be required to complete these continuing professional development modules on an annual basis and in the form of credits, in order to retain your license.
A CPD program year is defined as running from October 1 to September 30, and it is within this time frame that you must obtain :
- For new agents, at least 20 credits per year for 10 years (then 15 credits per year from the 11th year onwards).
- For emeritus agents (i.e. if you obtained your license under regulations prior to 2023), you will be required to obtain 40 credits per year for 5 years (and 15 credits per year from the 6th year onwards).
Each module is awarded several credits, depending on its length, number of hours of training and degree of difficulty. These credits are subject to a knowledge test, and you must pass a final assessment with at least 80% correct answers.
In short, if you meet the eligibility criteria, you can enter the profession of soccer player agent, within FIFA, by applying online, passing the agent exam and paying your annual fee.
At the end of this integration process, you will be able to exercise the functions of an agent, which essentially consist in representing a player. To do this, you will be required to follow FIFA's ongoing training modules throughout your career.
