The client-pays model is introduced by the FFAR. This means that, as a general rule, a football agent will be paid directly by their Client(s) for providing football agent services to them. 

However, a club, member association or single-entity league may agree with a player or coach to pay the agreed service fee to a football agent in accordance with the representation agreement, provided that the player’s or coach’s negotiated annual remuneration (excluding any conditional payments) is less than USD 200,000 (or equivalent) and where certain other conditions are met. 

A football agent may receive a service fee only if the fee corresponds to the services stipulated in advance in a representation agreement, and the representation agreement is in force at the time of the relevant football agent services being performed.

Since the main objective of the FFAR is to protect the integrity of football and the proper functioning of the transfer system, a maximum service fee (hereinafter the “Service Fee Cap”) is being introduced. 

In that regard, the following Service Fee Cap applies based on the nature of the Client (cf. art. 15 of the FFAR): 

The presumption established in article 15 para. 3 of the FFAR may generally rebutted by providing, for example, an accurate statement of work, invoices, contracts, correspondence or any other information and document that proves that the Other Services were genuinely and effectively performed, and that the fees charged correspond to the relevant contract and/or services rendered.

One of the main objectives of the FFAR includes “limiting conflicts of interest to protect Clients from unethical conduct” (cf. art. 1 par. 2 c) of the FFAR). It is legitimate – and in fact necessary – for FIFA to limit conflicts of interest that give rise to integrity concerns, and indeed to prohibit unjustifiable conflicts of interest.  

In that sense, the general principle is that a football agent may only perform football agent services on behalf of one party in a transaction, subject to the sole exception under which a football agent may perform football agent services and other services for an individual and an engaging entity in the same transaction, i.e. dual representation (cf. art. 12 par. 8 of the FFAR). 

If a football agent wishes to provide football agent services through dual representation to both an engaging entity and an individual in the same transaction, they may only do so if both of their Clients have explicitly agreed to it in advance and in writing. In this case, the engaging entity may pay up to 50% of the total service fee due to the football agent. 

This means that a football agent may not perform football agent services or other services in the same transaction for: