The data relate to the latest report published by Fifa: in 2022 Serie A paid 79 million to agents. Only the Premier League scored more: 181.3 million
The latest Report published by Fifa last January, and relating to the 20,209 transfers concluded in 2022 from one country to another (thus excluding those within the same federation), takes a fairly clear picture of how much “weight” they have acquired in over time the prosecutors in the world of football. Serie A is no exception. Indeed, our clubs paid 79 million in 2022, only less than those in the Premier League who gave agents 181.3 million. We are second in this special ranking (622 million worldwide spending), ahead of the Portuguese, Spanish, German and French leagues. This is why so many presidents, while appreciating the professional work carried out by some agents, are awaiting the definitive entry into force (from 1 October) of the new Fifa regulation: it will also be implemented by the FIGC and will give the managers of our football a hand both to contain expenses and not to let money out of the system. The Fifa Report is a partial figure: considering the commissions for “internal” transfers and the arrears paid by some clubs, the millions allocated to agents by Italian clubs in 2022 were 205. A huge amount if you think that our football it has just over a third of the revenues of the Premier League and in terms of turnover it is also below La Liga and the Bundesliga. The FIGC Report certified that in 2022 Juventus paid the most for proxies and brokerages (51,336,558 euros), but two other clubs went over 20 million (Roma and Inter) and another four over ten million (Fiorentina , Naples, Milan and Udinese). All right, there were some invoices from previous years pending, but… Last came Turin with just 2 million paid.
Global problem
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However, it is clear that the growth of the sums destined for agents and intermediaries is not only an Italian problem, otherwise Fifa would not have moved to regulate the system, introducing a register of prosecutors, but above all setting rigid limits for the commissions which will have to pass from Clearing House to ensure financial transparency. Infantino has been carrying on his battle for some time and is now close to the finish line even if the ruling of the European Court of Justice is awaited on the matter.
And the Arabs…
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The entry on the world stage of the Saudi Pro League and the ambitious project regarding the development of football carried out through Pif from Arabia, makes the regulation even more urgent. Because the Saudi tax system and the fact that their companies are not subject to UEFA’s financial rules, on the one hand can allow the clubs of the Old Continent to find the necessary liquidity to solve the problems of their respective budgets, but on the another creates an unbridgeable competitive gap both as regards the salaries offered to the players and the commissions to be paid to the intermediaries. The European Court of Justice, therefore, will give its interpretation on the new legislation, approved by Fifa after years of consultations, but strongly opposed by the main associations of prosecutors. A procedure is also underway before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding the new regulation of the agents.
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