The role of the football agent has once again come under scrutiny, only this time it’s because of their targeting of young academy players.
Agents have long been the bane of football clubs everywhere, as they seek to get rich off of the back of moving their clients around Europe.
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The work they do at academies is often under the radar but can be just as unscrupulous, if not more so, as parents and young boys or girls look for the best pathway into the professional game.
The Daily Mail note that, finally, the FA are getting tough when it comes to finding that their registered intermediaries have been contacting players through social media, with a view to tapping them up and, eventually, representing them.
The suggestion is that the authorities will now adopt a zero tolerance approach and will, if necessary, go as far as suspending the licence of any agent found to be contravening the rules.
Although the measures have come far, far too late, it’s better late than never, and at least it means that the next generation of academy players will be protected.