Leading British agents have succeeded in delaying the introduction of new FIFA regulations limiting their commission to three per cent of player salaries that were due to come into operation this weekend.
Four of the country’s biggest agencies - CAA Base, Wasserman, Stellar and ARETE - launched legal action in an attempt to block the FA from implementing FIFA’s changes earlier this summer, with a private arbitration hearing taking place in London last week.
Mail Sport has learned that all parties were informed this morning that the tribunal will deliver its verdict on or before 30 November, with the introduction of the new rules delayed until the decision is confirmed.
The agents are arguing that the limits on commission will not control costs, but encourage clubs to find alternative ways of paying agent fees to ensure they are able to buy the best talent. As well as a three per cent commission limit on all player salaries over £161,000 FIFA’s new rules will limit payments to agents for brokering transfers to ten per cent of the fee.
FIFA had originally proposed that players should pay agents out of their own salaries as a way of reducing fees, but that was idea dropped. Under the current system it is common practice for the club to pay the agent fee in addition to the player’s salary and bonuses.
For the 12 months up to the end of March, clubs in the Premier League alone paid £318.2 million to agents, with Championship clubs spending a collective £36.3 million, according to the FA, which acts as a clearing house for payments.
