In 2023, FIFA introduced new regulations governing the profession of football players' agent. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the steps you'll need to take if you want to join this profession, as well as everything you need to know about your future duties and commitments.
First, we'll tell you how to apply for your FIFA licence online. We will then explain what you need to know about the exam to obtain your licence. Finally, we'll take a look at the profession of football players' agent itself, as well as the requirements to be met, particularly in terms of ongoing training, throughout your career.
How do I become a FIFA players' agent?
To become a FIFA football players' agent, you must :
- Apply for a licence 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 drawn up a list for you below)
- Pass and obtain a 75% pass rate on the FIFA exam
- Pay an annual membership fee
Persons already licensed under the old FIFA regulations (1995, 1998, 2001 and 2008 editions) may be exempted from the examination by providing proof of their licence and registration as a FIFA intermediary.
FIFA's eligibility criteria are as follows:
- You must not make any false, misleading or incomplete statements
- You must never have been found guilty in any criminal proceedings
- Have never been suspended for at least two years, excluded or struck off for a breach of the rules on ethics or professional conduct
- not be a FIFA official or employee (the only exception to this rule is for 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 centralised league
- During the 2 years prior to your application for a licence, never have been caught providing agent services without holding the required licence
- During the 5 years prior to your application for a licence, you must never have 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 been wound up.
- During the 12 months prior to your application, you must not have had any interest in any entity, company or organisation trading, organising or managing sports betting activities for profit.
How does the FIFA exam to become a football players' agent work?
The exam lasts 1 hour and is held at the venue of your choice, as long as it is the premises of a FIFA member association. You will need your own computer with an internet connection in order to take the exam online on the FIFA platform.
You must achieve a 75% pass rate in the exam, i.e. you must have at least 15 correct answers to the 20 questions you are asked.
The exam is in the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire. Its purpose is to test your knowledge of FIFA regulations and player transfers. You may bring authorised teaching material.
FIFA is proposing two examination sessions for the first year of the new regulations:
- on 22 May 2024, if you submit your application on the FIFA platform between 9 January and 31 March 2024 ;
- and in November 2024. We will update this article as soon as we have any information from FIFA.
In 2024 and 2025, there will still be 2 examination sessions per year, which will take place in May and November (for online applications submitted before 31 March and before 30 September).
The exact dates of the examination days will be set at a later date, which will be visible on the FIFA website, and all candidates who have applied for a licence online in good time will be informed by means of a circular.
What are the duties of a FIFA players' agent?
Once you have passed the agent exam and are in possession of your FIFA licence, you are authorised to work as a football players' agent.
Your main task as an agent is to represent the football 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 career as a footballer.
This implies that you must master certain skills, which are as follows:
- successfully negotiate the player's transfer;
- And managing all the activities associated with this type of transaction.
As part of this, you will have to deal with all communication prior to transfers, contract management, and you will have to show complete transparency in your work, as well as in the calculation of commissions, etc.
If the football player you represent is a minor, you will have to take specific training modules on the representation of minors and the jurisdiction in force on this subject in the player's country and the various countries where he may play.
What are the obligations of a FIFA player agent?
Once you have obtained your licence, you undertake to comply with FIFA's regulations and statutes, its code of ethics and disciplinary code and the Regulations Governing 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 correctly completed and compliant, with his name, licence number, signature and your own name.
As a FIFA players' agent, you must also:
- Pay the annual fee payable by all licence holders every year
- Always meet FIFA's eligibility criteria (Article 5 of the FIFA Agents Regulations) when renewing your licence application
- be up to date with FIFA's continuing professional development requirements (more details in the last part of this article)
- Meet regular reporting obligations
- And to undertake to report any breaches of FIFA's regulations and codes of conduct by members of a confederation or an intermediary association.
FIFA's ongoing training requirements for players' agents
At the same time as the new agents' regulations, FIFA has also recently developed a training programme to enable you to enhance your skills and keep up to date with changes in legislation, jurisdictional knowledge and other information necessary for the proper performance of your duties throughout your future career as a players' agent.
Once you have obtained your licence, you will be required each year to fulfil these professional training obligations within the FIFA programme, in the form of modules that will be accessible online on the agents' platform.
You will be required to complete these CPD modules on an annual basis and in the form of credits in order to retain your licence.
A year's CPD programme runs from 1 October to 30 September, and it is within this period 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 licence under regulations predating those of 2023), 40 credits will be required each year for 5 years (and 15 credits per year from the 6th year onwards).
Each module will give rise to a number of credits depending on its length, the number of hours spent on it and its degree of difficulty. These credits will be subject to a knowledge test, and you will have to pass a final assessment with at least 80% correct answers.
In short, if you meet the eligibility criteria, you can enter the profession of football player agent within FIFA by applying online, passing the agent exam and paying your annual fee.
Once you have completed the process of joining the profession, you will be able to carry out the duties of an agent, which essentially involve representing a player. To do this, you will be required to follow FIFA's ongoing training modules throughout your career.
