At the start of this month, FIFA's global licensing system for player agents came to an end and it has led to fears that deregulation will lead to chaos and the potential for agents to take advantage.
Licenced agent Fintan Drury, who represented ex-Ireland and Arsenal player Graham Barrett, has covered the issue for the The Guardian and tonight he gave Off The Ball an insight into what it actually means.
"Ultimately this is a great opportunity for the association of football agents to say 'we really need to get a grip here of what's going on within our own sector and we need to self-regulate,'" said Drury, who has experienced other agents muscling in on deals and managers forcing certain agents into deals.
He also discussed what the changes mean for players in the U18 bracket.
"I can't believe that intelligent people in the FA would have implemented a regulation which defines a minor as anyone under 18. In England, like Ireland, you can get a driving licence when you're 17. By what mad definition does a person determine that when an 18-year-old, working in an environment where age is a limited barrier to being successful and a lot of players like Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Oxlade-Chamberlain were playing Premier League football at 19," he said.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
