(Football news) A report on European Union sports policy has revealed FIFA’s plans to reform the football transfer system and seek to license agents, thereby ensuring that there are fee caps in transfer deals to bring greater transparency to the transfer market. The football governing body is also establishing a Clearing House to ensure training and solidarity payments are made.
FIFA's chief legal and compliance officer Emilio Garcia Silvero said: "The European Parliament report clearly confirms that FIFA's ongoing efforts in relation to the transfer system reform not only go in the right direction but are essential to shape the football of the future, which should be based on the principles of good governance and solidarity by all those involved.
"The transfer system reform has gained consistent support by key political actors, which is very much in line with FIFA's commitment to modernise the regulatory framework, thereby ensuring that transparency and accountability are safeguarded on a global scale." The report has also addressed "all relevant actors to prioritise policies that safeguard children, promote healthy and active lifestyles and ensure safe, inclusive and equal sport".
Joyce Cook, FIFA's chief social responsibility and education officer said “We support the principles of the report and in particular, we take note of the European Parliament's call to safeguard children from any form of abuse in sport. We have already launched in 2019 the FIFA Guardians Programme, to strengthen child and vulnerable adult safeguarding measures across football, and we are now taking the initiative to establish an independent, multi-sport, multi‑agency, international entity to help sports judicial bodies investigate and appropriately manage cases of abuse. We are ready to work together with EU Institutions to further advance our work in that respect."
In the Premier League, a record sum of £272m was spent in agent fees alone from a period of 1 February 2020 and 1 February 2021, with Chelsea spending £35,247,822, Manchester City: £30,174,615 and Manchester United: £29,801,555. Surprisingly, the COVID-19 crisis had no effect on the top flight of English football as almost £10 million more was spent during the pandemic compared to before. Moreover, findings by FIFA revealed that more than £38 billion was spent on players in the last decade with Manchester City and Chelsea leading the pack. It’s no wonder that FIFA wants to regulate the market when the transfer fees are going through the roof and exorbitant agent fees have become the norm to ensure the best players are transferred to cash rich clubs.
