FIFA have put young players at risk of exploitation

Raheem Sterling knows the value of good advice. Soon enough, it will have netted him a wage in excess of a hundred grand a week.

Whatever you think of the Liverpool star’s unwillingness to sign a new deal at Anfield, his agent, Aidy Ward, has played a blinder. At just 20 years old, Sterling’s next contract will set him up for life.

Ward has got his client to this point by being ruthless absolutely. But he has also got him here because he KNOWS the business inside out.

Could any old chancer have done the same? No way.

Yet, thanks to FIFA’s decision to scrap their tough qualification exam for players’ agents, literally anyone with £500 in their pocket can become a player’s representative today.

And by opening the door, I reckon our joke of a governing body have put young players at risk of exploitation.

There is more money in football now than there has ever been. That means players get more, and that means agents have been making more too. For FIFA to turn the industry into a free-for-all at this point seems ridiculous. Where is the common sense?

It’s a no-brainer. You should be vetted as a football agent. You should have to prove your knowledge of contract and employment law. You should have to demonstrate that you are competent.

That’s how it has been done for years. Agents couldn’t call themselves agents unless they passed an exam.

Under the new system, in England, as long as you can pay the FA a £500 fee, you can start wheeling and dealing on behalf of a player.

By removing the qualification roadblock, FIFA have basically said to everyone: “Turn up, hand over a wedge and get stuck in.”

To me, that looks wide open for abuse. And the people I’m most worried for are young footballers.

With the best will in the world, many of these kids are pretty gullible. If you’re a talented teenager and the agents are starting to circle, who are you going to sign with?

The meticulous solicitor-type, who’s talking about setting you up for the future? Or the guy with the fancy watch and the flash car who’s telling you he’ll make you a millionaire?

Whichever category Raheem Sterling’s agent fits into, at least he knows what he’s doing.

Thanks to FIFA, for the next generation of young stars, there will be no guarantees.