Kieran Maguire makes ‘massive’ claim after Man City smash Premier League record
The Premier League introducing stricter agent exams is ‘massive’ for football after Man City broke the record for agent fees.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the need for higher agent admission and regulation.
As reported by the Daily Mail (18 April), football agents are being made to sit a new Fifa exam to be considered a licensed agent.
As things stand, an agent is only required to pay a £500 fee to the FA to receive a license, but Fifa have integrated new regulations.
The number of licensed agents in the UK currently sits around 2,000, but that figure is expected to plummet after exams are counted in October.
Football Insider sources revealed on Monday (3 April) that City broke the Premier League record for agent fees paid in 2022/23 with £51.6million spent.
Maguire believes more professionalism in agent activities should be welcomed, but remains concerned about how the exam could be manipulated.
“With regards to the introduction of the agent exam – which was scrapped by Fifa only a few years ago – it will reduce the incentive for opportunists to enter the industry,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“At present you need a £500 cheque to the Football Association and no evidence of criminal convictions essentially.
“We have a non-existent bar at present, so introducing a level of professionalism into agents’ activities will be massive for the sport.
“There is still a cause for concern that there is still a long way to go before the level of care that is required for players is achieved.
“We will have to see if the system is subject to abuse, especially if the tests are online.“
In other news, Man City on course for £65m windfall as documents filed today