A football agent told how they make money from players. How a football agent works: money, children, corruption How to contact a football agent

When talking about football, the topics of money, commerce, and contracts are involuntarily touched upon. Who ensures a stable future for athletes? Such people are called agents. They play the role of accountants, diplomats, lawyers, while trying to remain in the shadows. Who are these mysterious personalities? How to become a football agent?

Introduction to the profession

The first agents in football appeared in the 70s of the twentieth century in the West. By signing an agreement with the athlete, they took responsibility for his finances and career. Of course, how good the results will be depends on honesty. To support the high level of specialists in this field, FIFA has established the Institute of Football Agents. Here they take exams for professional suitability, knowledge of foreign languages, and jurisprudence. Typically, agents are former football players who are well aware of the activities of team sports and the peculiarities of communicating with current players.

In Russia there is also an institute for such specialists, upon completion of which they receive an RFU certificate. A football agent license gives the right to work not only in one’s own country, but also in other countries, and also ensures transparency of actions. Currently, there are about 150 professionals in this field who have completed their studies in the Russian Federation. Not only specialists, but also their relatives can represent the interests of athletes. Thus, the affairs of the famous football player Ronaldinho are handled by his brother, and the Riise brothers are handled by their mother Berit Riise.

Features of the specialty in Russia

In our country, this profession appeared in the early 90s of the twentieth century. Non-professionals also began working alongside licensed agents, who often deceived their clients for their own benefit. The first organization in Russia that had the right to sell our athletes abroad was Sovintersport. Unfortunately, most of the wages went to the state, so football and hockey players received little money. Thus, for the defender of the USSR national team Vagiz Khidiyatullin, who left for France, the country received 29 thousand monthly from his salary of 30 thousand dollars.

The pioneering agent in our country was Konstantin Sarsania. The former football player still remains on the list of the International Football Federation. Currently he works as a coach. V. Panchenko, D. Gradilenko, A. Novgorodov also became professional agents from a number of former football players.

Rules for obtaining a license

How to become a football agent? Who has the right to call themselves an expert in this field? To obtain such a position, you must:

Have citizenship of the country where the license is requested;

Do not be a lawbreaker;

Successfully pass a special FIFA test.

The fee for the examination is set by the football federation of the country where the testing is taking place. It ranges from 100 to 1000 euros. Two attempts to pass the test are allowed per year.

After meeting all conditions and obtaining a license, the agent is obliged to pay FIFA for the right to work with clients from 1,000 to 10,000 euros. The local football federation also sets its own conditions.

Licensing exam

Before a future agent goes for testing, he needs to make a contribution in the amount of 100 thousand rubles. This money goes towards covering the costs of organizing and running the exam. The fee is non-refundable. A one-day seminar is usually held the day before testing. For all questions regarding the examination, please contact the Russian Football Union. A number of documents must be provided to this department.

The exam includes twenty multiple choice questions. The test is developed based on the following materials:

1. FIFA Statutes, which were adopted in 2012.
2. Statutes for the application of the FIFA Statutes.
3. FIFA regulations on the status and transfers of football players.
4. Rules for the status and transfers of players.
5. FIFA Player Agent Regulations.
6. Rules that govern the procedures of the Player Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber.
7. FIFA Disciplinary Code.

Questions from the International Federation of Association Football come in English, which are translated by the international department of the Russian Football Union.

Features of obtaining a license in our country

How to become a football agent in the Russian Federation? To do this, you need to contact the appropriate organization. The RFU gives the right to receive a professional certificate upon presentation to the police, which indicates that the future agent does not suffer from mental illness and has no criminal record. You also need to buy an insurance policy, the price of which is 100 thousand Swiss francs. Money is insurance in cases of litigation. Next, you need to draw up a statement of readiness to comply with the code of honor.

Here's how to become a football agent! But are the documents provided sufficient? A prerequisite, as already mentioned, is the successful passing of a special exam. It is accepted by a commission consisting of seven people. It includes representatives of the Professional Football League, the Legal Committee of the RFU, and the Russian Football Premier League.

How to find a football agent?

What steps do you need to take to find a good specialist? First, you need to contact the association of football agents. Here you can choose the appropriate option and draw up a contract. Secondly, remember that a professional agent must take responsibility in resolving legal issues, working with employment contracts, and act as a consultant and intermediary in the client’s transfer and sports activities. Thirdly, you should carefully consider the specialist’s education and work experience.

The agent's fee is no more than 10 percent of the player's income. If the athlete is under 16 years of age, the rate is reduced to 3 percent. The specialist covers the costs of travel and organizing meetings with representatives of football clubs.

Agencies

To get an answer to the question of how to find a football agent, you can contact the association, which unites all licensed football specialists of the RFU. It was created in 2004. The goal of the AFA is the cooperation of agents, the development of football, as well as the football industry in the Russian Federation. The Association of Football Agents promotes the interaction of agents with the International Federation of Association Football, the Russian Football Union, the European Football Union, and the Russian Football Premier League. The Association of Football Agents includes A. Minasov, A. Zotov, S. Bazanov, O. Eremin, A. Tolstikov, A. Manyakov, O. Malezhik.

Football agents in Moscow and other Russian cities

One of the most influential specialists in this field is Oleg Artemov. His clients were P. Pogrebnyak, R. Pavlyuchenko and others. The agent received a license in 2004. In Moscow, O. Artemov works for the German agency Dr. Oliver Wendt & Thomas Zorn.

The football agent of D. Sychev, I. Denisov, V. Bystrov is Pavel Andreev. The specialist cooperates with the Zenit club.

In 2005, another famous agent founded ProSports Management. Previously, he managed the Samara club “Wings”. Then he became a representative of D. Kolodin, S. Leilton. The specialist is promoting the Anzhi brand, where he is a member of the board of directors.

The SA agency, created by Alexey Safonov, focuses mainly on young football players. He is a partner of the Chertanovo school. The list of agency clients includes Sergei Ryzhikov, Vladimir Granat, Alexey Medvedev and others.

Another well-known football organization, ASA International, headed by Arsen Minasov, works with clients such as K. Zyryanov, V. Kulik, R. Shirokov, O. Vukoevich. The company is known on the international market and cooperates with Croatian players.

Professionals in the CIS countries

How to become a football agent in Ukraine? First you need to have 8 thousand hryvnia in your account and numerous connections in football teams. Licensing exams are held in March and September of each year. To be admitted to the knowledge test, you must provide the following documents to the Status and Transfers Committee:

Two types of passport: foreign and civil;

Identification code;

Work book;

Diploma of education;

Application with autobiography;

Certificate of residence;

Extracts from psychoneurological and narcological dispensaries;

Certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs;

Cash contribution.

Candidates are tested on their knowledge of the FIFA statutes and regulations on the status and transfers of football players, the FIFA regulations on the activities of agents, and the FFU regulations on the activities of agents. The received license is valid for five years and has international status.

A prerequisite for working as a football agent is purchasing insurance. Its cost is about 10,350 hryvnia, and it is used only in case of litigation. The specialist also carries out annual insurance of his activities in the amount of 100 thousand Swiss francs.

Football agency in the Republic of Belarus

The conditions for obtaining a license in this country are the same as in other countries. The agent must pass an exam. Of the twenty test questions, fifteen include topics on FIFA regulations, and five on ABFF requirements. Persons with higher education are allowed to take the exam. The future agent must provide certificates of no criminal record and proof of mental health. After the exam, the candidate enters into a liability insurance contract and signs a code of professional conduct.

Speaking about how to become a football agent in Belarus, it should be noted that relatives of athletes can also master this profession, but they must be registered with the Association of the Belarusian Football Federation.

Unlicensed Agents

When you need a football agent, and the athlete does not have large sums of money, you have to turn to illegal specialists. Unofficial business in our country is carried out by different people, for example, club managers, employees from sports departments and others. The regulations on the status and transfer of football players of the Russian Football Union provide for sanctions both for clubs that work with unlicensed agents, and for the players themselves who have entered into contracts with them. For the latter, the punishment usually takes the form of a warning, a fine of 250 thousand rubles, or disqualification for up to 12 months. As for clubs, the fine for cooperation with an unlicensed agent is already 1 million rubles; it is also possible to transfer the organization to a lower division, deducting points, and banning transfers for a certain period. Any transactions carried out in this case are cancelled.

Despite serious sanctions, football players and clubs continue to use the services of “bugs” (as agents without licenses are called). Why? Firstly, such workers are paid less for services than certified professionals. Secondly, with the help of a “bug” a club can get rid of an unwanted football player for its own benefit. There are other reasons too.

Features of the activity

The question of how to become a football agent in Moscow is very relevant today. A novice specialist must follow a number of rules that, if successfully implemented, can lead to the desired result.

1. At first, it is better to have one or two clients with whom you must maintain personal contact.

2. Try to attend all football events where you need to make useful contacts.

3. Study foreign languages.

4. Determine the field of your activity.

5. Negotiate honestly.

6. Don’t count on getting big money quickly.

7. Try to travel a lot to observe as many players as possible at work.

8. It is advisable to acquire intermediaries.

9. Show attention to the client.

10. Maintain good relations with journalists.

Conclusion

So, now you know how to become a football agent in Russia. To do this, you need to have a certain amount in your account, not have problems with the law, and have good mental health. A higher education is required, legal or economics is especially welcome. And the main thing that is required is to be able to communicate with people, strengthen connections and have public speaking skills.

Assessing your capabilities.

It is clear that children who play football all dream of playing big-time football. Play in Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Manchester, or at worst in our clubs Dynamo, Shakhtar, etc. But when should you think seriously about your dream? Well, of course, in the last year of classes at a children's sports school. Why? Because this year will determine your condition, the level of a football player.

What you guys and your parents definitely need to know. First of all, remember it doesn’t really matter what school you play football at. Yes, it’s good if you are at a Dynamo or Shakhtar school or sports boarding school. Of course, the conditions for classes there are much better than in schools in small towns. But, believe me, this is not so important. It is important that you have those football skills, the ability that would allow you to move on. There are a lot of examples where guys from small towns, unknown teams, ended up in professional football.

Remember one more important postulate. If you don’t play in your children’s team in the first team, this is also not a reason to hang up your boots and forget about your dream.

So, how do you assess your capabilities? First, make this assessment yourself first. For example, rate your football capabilities using a five-point system:

Technical equipment,

Physical state

Tactical equipment,

Game during selection, single combat,

Moral condition.

Write down for yourself on a piece of paper what you do best. What's the trick to your game? For example, someone plays well in tackling, is physically strong, someone has good speed and dribbling. Someone has a strong blow from any position, etc.

Below I will write to you exactly what qualities it is advisable to have for each position and role in order to get into the teams of masters:

And the main thing for everyone is to have a strong character. Without character, there is no chance of becoming a football player. The ability to endure, to play until the end, I can’t get through it.

Goalkeeper– first of all, height, preferably not lower than 185 cm. Good technical equipment. Strong legs, without them there will be no good reaction, even if there is one, and jumping ability. Don't be a coward and be morally strong. Of course, play on the exits, and not just on the goal line.

Fullback- First of all, have good speed. Rarely is a full-back slow - this is rather the exception to the rule, if there are such, and they are. Be tough in martial arts, strong physically. It's not bad to play with your head. Have high jumping ability. Well, if there is no speed, then at least have good sharpness. It is desirable to play simply and reliably.

Central defender– tall height, this is very important. Don’t believe that if you are 180cm tall and play as a central defender in a children’s school and don’t play badly, you will get into the team of masters. The chances are slim, believe me. Better change your role. Heading is a must. Speed ​​is very desirable, but there were football players who didn’t run, but then you need to have a head like his. Play smart tactically. And one more thing, the ability to make the first pass. Be physically strong.

Wide midfielder– you must have good speed. It would be great if you had good technique and especially dribbling. Have good passing. Many people think that they know how to serve, but they really don’t. Very few people know how to do this; this should be done separately from general training. Have great endurance. The midfielder has to play both in defense and in attack. It would also be very good if you played with both feet equally - this is a positive aspect when choosing a coach. Well, and the ability to shoot on goal. The ability to play in tackling, without this, a wing midfielder is now an empty place.

Defensive midfielder- First of all, sharpness, very good physical condition. Play with your head when tackling, be tenacious and not yielding.

Attacking midfielder– be very technical, dribbling, have a good understanding of the game, and tactically competent. Have a good pass, both low and high. Have a blow. It is advisable to at least be very sharp.

Attack– they come in different types, but the main thing is to have a scoring instinct, have a good kick and preferably both feet. Have dribbling ability, be able to create chances for yourself, take over the game. Good starting and distance speed. The ability to open up well, to offer yourself.

Here I have listed the main characteristics for each role. Look for these qualities in yourself, work on the missing qualities and everything will be fine.

What else would you like to do? It’s difficult for you to evaluate yourself objectively, so it’s best to invite someone, an outside specialist. Let him evaluate you, look at your game and what you can do in training. Because it's not always the same. In training you can be one thing, but in the game you can be completely different.

Targeted preparation.

And so, you assessed your capabilities, abilities, qualities. Now we need to start preparing. How many times do coaches scold you? Constantly. But, you listen, and most of them fall on deaf ears. Yes, no, we have to take it and work. Correct your shortcomings and, as a rule, this must be done in addition to general training.

The most important aspect in this focus is your psychological approach. Believe me, if you are passionate about something more than football, your aspiration is worthless. This does not mean that you should not be interested in anything else, not do anything, not relax and go out with friends. You just have to do it all on time. But you have to play football, well, not fanatically, but enough, just responsibly. I saw a lot of talented guys. They could play at a very good level. But they did not have a core of responsibility or determination. All this happened, but only in words, but in deeds...

You've probably heard the phrase “You need to love not yourself in football, but football in yourself.”

Believe me, this is pure truth.

I really want to say a few words to my parents. Don't put pressure on your children. Sometimes it seems to me that parents want to play football more than their children. There is no need to put pressure, there should be control, but not as total as it happens. And also, if you haven’t played professionally yourself, don’t teach them to play. Sometimes I listen to parents’ tips on how their child should have played in this or that moment, and my heart bleeds. Well, just all football specialists. They have coaches for this. Some terrorize their guys so much that they simply stop playing, they give up, right on the field. We need your moral support. The child should know that you approve of his desire to play professional football and believe in him.

Search for a football agent.

It's no secret that nowadays there are a large number of football agents. Do you need them?

How can a young football player get an audition for one or another team of masters? His childhood coach may recommend him. But honestly, this happens so rarely. It can be seen by selectors of masters teams at various tournaments and cups. But again. I will say from what actually exists, we have very few selectors in the masters teams, and many teams simply do not have them. This is a huge disadvantage of our football. So, it’s better not to rely on these comrades.

There is an option, friends of friends, etc. But, you see, not many people have this option, or rather, many simply don’t have it. Therefore, it is best to find a football agent for your child. Well, we have just a huge number of agents. Go to the search engine and open the list. Then make inquiries, find out the characteristics of this person and make a choice. There is no point in waiting for an agent to come to you, unless your child is a player of the Ukrainian youth team.

The main features of a good one are professionalism, so that he really is a football specialist, and decency. Unfortunately, not all football agents have these qualities. There are those who, if they understand that they cannot get money for your child right away, then they will not really deal with it, or they simply promise a lot, sign an agency contract, and then do not answer calls, there were also such. You need to carefully think about which team is best to go to for a tryout. Well, not all teams are suitable for this. The agent must know and take into account all these circumstances. Where, what coach, what kind of players he likes. What prospects does the guy have in this team, take into account his future transfer amount, etc. Believe me, getting into the team is only half the battle; you also need to sign a competent contract. There are many examples when young guys signed employment contracts for good salaries, and two years later, when these teams no longer needed them, they simply could not get a job anywhere. Because their level of play does not correspond to their transfer amount. And by the way, this is not that the football player is bad, he is simply not yet ripe for another level. We must understand that every young football player reaches a high level individually. Some very early, some a little later. Therefore, choosing an agent is a very responsible and serious step.

Team selection.

Choosing a future team where you will have to go for a tryout is a very important step. For graduates of sports schools, the best way to continue improving their skills is, of course, the double team of the Major League. Why? Because this is the fastest and most realistic chance to immediately play in the Major League, bypassing the lower football divisions. Getting into the Major League from first or second division teams is very, very difficult. If you didn’t get into any doubles, then it’s best to start with a second division team. Personally, I think that at the age of 17 - 18 there is nothing to do in a first division team, unless of course you are so talented, or there is simply a coach who will trust you and believe in you. Believe me, this happens very rarely. As a rule, coaches of first league teams are very reluctant to trust young footballers to play in the lineup or often substitute. Twenty-three years old is still a young age for them. Then your age, for them, is just childish. And you understand, the most important thing at your age is to play. You can train as much as you like, it won’t be of much use if you don’t play. That is precisely why the double and the second league are preferable to the first league. If you stand out in your position in the reserves or in the second league, you will have a real chance to move to a team in the first division, where you will not sit on the bank or not get into the squad, but play.

Getting into a team does not mean playing well.

Many young football players, when they get into the master team, the reserve team or the second league, consider that the job is done. For some reason, most people begin to have love stories, whirlwind romances. And in my head, there is only love and sex. I'm not against all this, that's understandable. But, often, for some reason, for the majority, all these relationships really interfere. My opinion is that you should start a serious relationship at twenty or a little later. When will there be more or less some clarity with your football career? Money appears and immediately many begin to play tricks. They often go to nightclubs, drink, etc. I do not recommend doing this in large quantities. In my opinion, the second league or double is not football yet. This is just the beginning of the journey. Please understand, football is a very delicate thing. There is a saying: “It’s not enough to know how to play football, you need to find your coach and your team.”

You can play for the reserve team all season in the first team, but you won’t be able to make it to the first team. But it may even happen that you won’t get into the second league. There can be a lot of reasons why you played for the reserve team. And to play in the second league, you need to really play. Unfortunately, our doubles now are just some kind of football kindergarten. Both the level of the team and the nature of the game are very different from the level of the game and precisely the character, from the second league.

There is another important aspect why many guys quickly end up playing professional football. Many people somehow get the feeling that they are completely fine, but they are being stifled and not objectively assessed. Such an element of internal star fever. Such thoughts, one hundred percent, lead to sad consequences. As a rule, such football players end up playing professional football as soon as they start. I would not talk about this if there were not numerous examples of such cases. I don’t want to name the names of these, as I call them, semi-football players. I sincerely feel sorry for them, but they only have themselves to blame for not playing anymore. Therefore, I ask you, do not make mistakes. Be realistic about yourself, evaluate your game critically. There are always flaws in the game.

Conclusion:

If you take what I have written here seriously, I assure you, you will achieve results and become a professional football player. What is important is an objective assessment, a desire, a fanatical desire to work on the problematic aspects of your game and have a real masculine character.

How to become a football agent: 10 professional duties of an agent + 5 qualities that a good specialist should have + 5 stages of obtaining a FIFA license + 2 main ways to become a football agent.

Many people have long ceased to perceive the world of football as a sports environment, and football players as athletes.

For the unenlightened, footballers are the darlings of fortune, the rich, the stars who receive huge amounts of money without doing anything special.

So how can you not want to join this world of the rich and famous?

Dreaming of becoming a top football player without playing football is stupid, but to think how to become a football agent, no one bothers.

Of course, the path to becoming a football agent is not easy. It is impossible to master this profession from scratch without connections and understanding the specifics of football.

And yet the situation is not at all hopeless, especially for those who have set a specific goal, but simply daydream without doing anything.

Who is a football agent and how to become one?

Before you try to become a football agent, you need to understand what kind of profession it is and whether it is right for you.

I think it will be easier for you to draw some conclusions if you familiarize yourself with the history of the formation of various football agents.

1) A football agent is a difficult, albeit interesting, profession.

Not only football players, but also many other professional athletes have agents. Today you simply cannot do without them.

A football agent is a manager who:

• represents the interests of his client;
• conducts negotiations on his behalf;
• concludes the most beneficial agreements for him;
• regulates legal disputes;
• communicates with the fan club;
• gives comments to the press;
• looking for advertisers and sponsors;
• negotiates a transfer to another team;
• deals with insurance;
• settles the football player’s personal affairs, makes sure that he does not violate the sports regime, becomes his friend and mentor, etc.

You must conduct your activities within the framework of the rules of the Sports Federation, so as not to get yourself into trouble and not to set up the athlete you represent.

A football agent is actually the same as a producer for singers. Only the producer almost always invests his own money in order to later make money on the one he made a star. But a football player’s agent works for a salary or a percentage of the athlete’s income.

The level of English should not be “London from the Capital of Great Britain”, but quite confident, so that you can easily understand a native speaker and express your thoughts to him.

It’s unlikely that anyone will take a functionary who travels everywhere with an interpreter seriously.

Understanding football.

Of course, your business is not a game, but a business, but if you don’t understand anything about what you are going to promote, then you will have a hard time.

After all, a businessman who sells cosmetics understands not only trading strategies and ways to make a profit, but also has a good understanding of the product he is offering to the client.

Analytical mind.

There is an opinion that all athletes (and football players especially) are stupid. We won’t argue whether this is true or not, but all sports officials and people who make money from football are definitely smart.

If you want to become an agent, you must think several steps ahead, and in general, correspond to their level.

A whole set of positive qualities.

Here, of course, everything is individual, but almost all successful football players’ agents are smart, sociable, responsible, punctual, calm, etc. Build your positive qualities to increase their number.

How to become a football agent: license and methods

Another problem is to squeeze into a narrow circle of “insiders” who are very reluctant to open their ranks to let in someone else.

How to become a licensed football agent?

If you want to become an official football representative, and not lead a miserable illegal existence, then you need to get a FIFA license.

The algorithm of actions to become a football agent is as follows:

to the Football Federation of Ukraine (http://www.ffu.org.ua/ukr/ffu/about/ffu_comettee/11/), Russian Football Union (http://www.rfs.ru/rfs/documents/strategies/) or to the Football Federation of your home country a number of documents:



The requirements for the list of documents may be different, so it is better to find out everything directly on the spot.

1. Pay a cash deposit.

   The amounts may be different, for example, the cost of the contribution in Ukraine is about 10,000 hryvnia. It is better to find out everything directly from the FFU administration or the RFU.

   Prepare for exams.

   These exams take place twice a year (March and September). The number of questions is 20. Some of them are prepared by FIFA, some by the domestic Football Federation.

   Most of the questions concern the rules of work of functionaries, the requirements of FIFA and the Football Federations of countries, etc.

   Answer at least 14 questions correctly.

   If you answer fewer questions, you will not be issued a license, so you need to prepare for the exam as seriously as possible.

   Pay insurance.

   This point is only relevant for those who have already received a license. It is optional, but recommended, especially for new agents. Insurance is a very useful thing.

   For example, if you are sued and lose, your insurance will cover all costs. The cost of insurance is at least 1,000 euros.

The license you receive is valid for only 5 years. After which you need to undergo re-certification.

In this video he shares his experience

Jorge Mendes is the richest football agent:

2 ways to become a football agent

Well-known sports functionary Anton Evmenov, former director of the CSK club, blogger, writer, claims that becoming a football representative is very difficult, especially if you have not been associated with football before.

Clubs, in his opinion, almost never invite scouts and agents from outside, preferring to cooperate with former football players who change roles.

Still, there are two ways to become a football agent:

Get a job at a football club.

Do not immediately try to get a job there as a breeder or scout if you do not have work experience. Start small - administrator, marketer, translator, secretary - everything will do for a start.

Take a closer look at how football players’ agents and scouts work when searching for new talents, learn from them, adopt their experience. You can ask to be someone’s assistant, even on a voluntary basis.

Having shown yourself well and acquired useful connections, you can begin to move towards breeding work.

When an agent position opens, apply for it.

If you are considered a good employee, then most likely you will be given a chance to prove yourself in this position.

Look for talent yourself.

The easiest way to become an agent for a star football player is to raise one from a young age.

That’s exactly what Volker Struth did when he saw enormous potential in teenager Mario Götze.

Visit sections, sports schools, city championships in search of young talents.

Naturally, in order to make the right choice, you need not only to have good intuition, but also to have a certain gift of foresight.

But, if you make the right choice and find a real star among the boys who are passionate about football, you will secure both a successful career and huge earnings. And then you will dictate terms to football clubs, and not they to you.

That, in fact, is all about how to become a football agent. Then everything depends only on you. If you are not afraid of difficulties and do not become lazy, you will achieve success in this interesting and highly paid profession.

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About how they become agents My son played football. I have seen that children cannot get into teams after graduation. I wanted to help, to make it clear that a professional is when football occupies you 24 hours a day. When you understand that you need to go to bed on time, eat what you should, train properly and regain strength. Those who become agents just for the money usually don't succeed.

Previously, there were no problems with obtaining a license from the RFU for agency activities: I answered the questions as in the traffic police exam - and that’s it. But no one has received new licenses for two and a half years. Apparently, because RFU President Nikolai Tolstykh considers agents the main enemies of football. It all started with a scandal during the agent exam. The applicants answered the questions correctly, but due to an incorrect translation, the answers were not counted. Another president would have supported the guys, but this one took advantage of the situation to declare war on the agents. However, some of my colleagues gave him a reason for this.

Tolstykh is sure that agents are taking money out of football. He is like Lenin: he fights so that there are no rich people. But if the agents do not withdraw money, others will do so with great pleasure - those who support the Tolstoys. Unlike agents, they will not spend this money on children's sports schools or on the development of football players. Many of my colleagues do this regularly. Recently, I myself transferred money to volleyball and football sections in Snezhny in the Donbass. I considered it my human duty.

The agent receives a commission of up to 10% from the contract or transfer amount of the player. Will you go to court without a lawyer? No. So any self-respecting player will also not sign a contract without an agent. In our football clubs, unfortunately, players are deceived every day regarding money, technical support or some other conditions. Of the clubs I've worked with, only two in the Premier League have ever cheated. And some are simply proud of their dishonesty. For example, Torpedo fulfilled only one of our agreements (and initially there were many of them).

In our football clubs players are cheated every day for money, technical support or some other conditions

About personal problems of football players Often I have to solve personal problems of clients that are not related to football. Football players have the same problems as other people. To help someone choose a restaurant for a wedding, to pick up someone’s car from an impound lot, legal issues, on loans, and so on. This, of course, is not stipulated in contracts with players. A football player sat in a tavern and punched someone in the face - he had to come and end the conflict. It happens that a football player lives in the house of an agent and the latter’s wife takes care of the player as if he were her own son. Apart from agents, there are no people in football capable of this.

Recently I had to go to a football player’s house at night and change the light bulbs there (he himself was not at home). The wife came, saw that there was no light, and got scared. I had to come and help. It turned out that the light bulb had burned out. She just didn’t think to look - it happens to everyone.

Often you have to help with getting a deferment from the army. There is no special education for football players, so players go to college. But since many of them do not play in the regions where they are registered, they do not have enough time to collect documents. We have to do it for them.

About violations of the sports regime Sometimes a football player can smoke a hookah or drink beer, but professionals always know when to stop. They understand that a 10-year career is their chance to make money. They chew it out with their teeth.

There are also those who end up playing football because of similar problems. Remember, there was a player of the Russian national team Ivan Saenko? He is still at “football” age, but already weighs more than 100 kilograms. He decided that rest was more important to him. I respect his choice and do not believe that he is worthy of condemnation. In the end, the man played in Germany, won bronze medals at the European Championship as part of the Russian national team, and then, apparently, burned out: football is a lot of physical and psychological stress.

Hovhannes Goharyan was potentially capable of playing in a serious European club. For two years in a row, he scored more for Lokomotiv's reserve team than anyone else in the reserve team tournament. But he didn’t have enough character, his older comrades couldn’t find the right words - and he broke down. It's not just alcohol or cigarettes. Attitude towards oneself lies in a general professional attitude towards maintaining sports shape.

About the age of football players They swore at Alan Gatagov for having a Bentley. But he didn’t buy it himself - the car was inherited by his wife, who is much older than Alan. Although I don’t know how old Gatagov himself is. I think they could have changed his age - in the southern regions this is the norm. Dzagoev, I believe, is also two or three years older than according to the documents. This is important for starting a career, but at a certain level no one cares anymore. Dzagoev doesn’t play worse because his age is overwritten. Doumbia, I think, was also rewritten within two years. But he was still sold to a big club from a top championship. Although people in football guess everything.

On negotiations with clubs When I try to convince a club that it is time for my client to increase his salary, I use sporting arguments. For example, I’m talking about the status of a football player in a team, the number of games, results, and the progress of the club with his participation. But negotiations do not always end successfully. Recently I tried to re-sign a football player’s contract, but they told me: “It’s just not serious, we are in 13th place.” I understand everything, no questions. We'll wait for them to rise.

About earnings Nowadays no one plays for little money. For a football player, earnings are more important than career prospects, although they, of course, do not admit this. Look at “Santa Barbara” with Artyom Dzyuba. He turned down invitations from good clubs from top championships in order to move to Zenit for big money. Even the national team captain Roman Shirokov was not offered that kind of money. In St. Petersburg, Dziuba will have a guaranteed high income, but in the West he has two options - to become a superstar or an outcast.

At the same time, our championship level is such that European clubs are not too eager to invite Russian football players. Apart from Kokorin and one or two other players, no one matches the level of the top championships. And to move from Spartak to the so-called West Ham means losing your salary by half. Those who agree to this can be counted on one hand.

Why do they earn no less in the Russian championship than in the top clubs of the best championships? Firstly, when state corporations entered football, they significantly raised the salary cap. Private owners have also had to adapt to remain competitive. Secondly, the main way to attract a strong foreign player to the Russian team is by offering a high salary. One that they won’t give him in the leading championship. The salaries of other players also increase accordingly, because the gap within one team should not be too large.

About the results: I don’t agree that our clubs perform poorly in European competitions. Our championship is inferior in level to at least five championships in Europe. Each of them has three or four teams competing in the Champions League. This is a minimum of 16 clubs that should be higher than ours. Yes, in terms of budget, Zenit is inferior to few others. But sport is not mechanical engineering. It's not the money that goes into the field.

Russian football is often compared to Soviet football. Then no one said that the players got too drunk. But what did they win? Not a single Champions Cup, although at that time only the winners competed there.

About why Russians do not become football stars This off-season, several young football players went to play in Europe - this is good. They have outgrown the duplicate squads of their teams and want to progress. They went for football, not for money. They want to compare the approach to sports in another country and themselves with young European football players. It's a good experience. However, the chances that they will turn into big football players are no greater than if they stayed. Previously, many of our people went to Italy, France, and other countries, but by and large, no one made it through.

Our young men became European champions in 2006. Why didn't any of them grow up to be serious football players? This is where debauchery and inadequate perception of one’s own successes intervene. Agents, clubs, coaches are also to blame: they failed to convey to them how to develop their careers. Although the same Prudnikov never philanders during training. But, apparently, at some stage he lost confidence, and that means a lot.

We have the wrong system for training young players. The same Denis Cheryshev was invited to the youth team seven or eight years ago. The coach didn’t put him in the lineup back then and called him weak, but today he wants to hang medals around his neck for discovering him. A young football player needs to be put on the field, his mistakes pointed out to him, and then put back into the game to see how he corrects these mistakes. And Cheryshev received a verdict in five minutes. It's good that he had the right upbringing. His father is a football player and never interfered in Denis’s relationships with coaches. Therefore, Denis grew stronger, turned into a man and became one of the leading players of a not very weak Spanish club. What, we don’t have such Cheryshevs in Russia? There are, and a lot of them.

Our youth are corrupted by football schools, academies and the parents themselves. I was once with a friend at her son’s hockey practice. When the coach set up the goal for a two-way game, all the parents immediately rushed from the stands to the boards. I ask a friend: “Why are you running there? Do you really understand anything about the game? Parents screamed like crazy, telling their sons how to take away, throw, circle. At such moments, children cease to understand who to listen to - the coach or mom and dad. The same thing happens in football.

The question arises: why did parents bring their children to hockey? To grow them into stars who earn huge amounts of money. Then they tell me: “I spent 10 years for him to become a football player and sign a decent contract, but they offer him such a pittance...” They instill in children that football should bring a lot of money. But we need to teach them to be athletes.

Another problem is with children's coaches. In Russia, they are focused on obtaining immediate results by any means necessary. In one of the Champions League finals, Barcelona had nine of their players in the starting lineup. Two more came on as substitutes. This is the real result of the work of a children's trainer. It is far from a fact that these children won the Spanish Youth Championship. But no one sprinkled ashes on their heads and kicked them out of school. And they would kick us out and say that the players are “weak.”

Why did parents bring their children to hockey? To raise them to be stars who earn a lot of money

About the impact of the crisis Clubs will begin to disappear, competition among football players will increase, some people will be left without work. Agency fees may also fall, although unlikely by much. But all this will not lead to the purification of our football. Our football could be helped by a leader with brains who would like to make a product out of it. We have winter for six months, and the stadiums are not heated. It is necessary to invite children from orphanages to stadiums, because a player simply cannot play at full capacity if the full stadium is roaring. And they just run around and ask us for money.

About match-fixing and illegal earnings I think that about 10 percent of matches in the Russian Championship are fixed. This percentage is not growing, but, perhaps, it is not falling either. Why this is not being investigated, I don’t know. I think that the same 10 percent of players, coaches, and functionaries are involved in them. There are also coaches who take kickbacks from player transfers. If a coach, changing teams, constantly brings with him the same undistinguished player, this is a reason for suspicion. The purest and most honest person is Tolstoy. Even though he is schizophrenic, he definitely doesn’t take kickbacks.

The history of “Rostov” is typical not only for our football, but for the whole country. There are kickbacks in almost every aspect of life, and football is no different.

About racism and conflicts I don’t believe that there are many racists in Russian football. How can football players be racist if they play on the same team with completely different people? Doumbia played for CSKA, he brought benefits, did his partners really not like him or did the fans not appreciate his goals? Of course, there will always be one eccentric who will shout something, but these are isolated manifestations.

Conflicts within clubs do not occur for racial or any other reasons, but simply due to high tension. As in any team, people get tired of looking at the same face every day. Footballers are not emotionless vegetables.