Jonathan Barnett unhappy with FIFA's consultation efforts on agent reforms and says legal action possible
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Leading agent Jonathan Barnett has accused FIFA of failing to enter into "meaningful consultation" on their plans for agent reforms and has warned the matter could end up in court. How to understand soccer before betting on the World Cup 2022
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The changes are in the "final stage" according to FIFA, but Barnett said: "That set of rules has been drawn up by people who don't understand the industry.
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"FIFA have drawn up a set of rules and have not done meaningful consultation whatsoever. They've been drawn up by people who do not understand the industry. It may sound crazy to people outside football but they have no knowledge about how a proper agency works."
FIFA chief legal and compliance officer Emilio Garcia Silvero said on Wednesday that there are "some groups who prefer not to be consulted" but Barnett feels he and the remaining members of The Football Forum - an international movement of football agents - are being widely ignored.
"The Football Forum that we started up is now the major governing body of all the agents in the world. All of the major associations have agreed to come with us and we speak now for hundreds if not thousands of agents," he said.
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"Maybe it's because we are the mouthpieces but we are backed by nearly all agents. There are some agents working with FIFA that I promise you nobody has ever heard of. They must be the agent of Fred Bloggs. That's what they do. They find three agents who have never done a transfer in their lives and say it's been meaningful consultation.
"We represent thousands of agents and we can all turn up if you don't believe it. We will go to court in Britain and we'll go to court in Europe as well because there are different laws there now.
"There are two alternatives. Hopefully, and I would love it with all my heart, FIFA see common sense and sit down with us properly and work with us together to come up with something that will please everybody.