The fear of agents in football seems to be the beginning of wisdom for many coaches, administrators and to an extent, the players. Football agents are professionals who represent players in negotiations with clubs, secure contacts and contracts and manage careers, acting as business advisors.
They are more or less, business partners to clients, but they are good, bad and ugly agents who can make or mar one’s career. The good ones are characterized by transparency, integrity and a sense of dedication to players’ best interests, acting as close confidants and career strategists.
The bad eggs prioritize their own financial gains through exploitative tactics, push for transfers that benefit them, rather than the player or club. Some even use fake profiles to scam aspiring athletes and are deceptive in the way they relay with people. They are like modern-day Yahoo boys whose ultimate objective is to make money by all means, especially in a country like Nigeria. Their primary concern is to earn money from deals, rather than the overall interest of the player or club. Their modus operandi is to formally involve in media sensationalism to shape perception and distract the public from their dirty jobs.
There were instances of agents getting involved in unethical or illegal acts, such as bribing coaches or club executives to secure contracts for players. This is where the problems of a coach or club administrator could begin once they are approached and the agent’s offer turned down. My six years and more in football management was a discovery of all sorts about these so-called agents.
Nigeria has found it difficult to break through age grade football competitions because of these agents. Unlike the days of Wilson Oruma and Kanu Nwankwo, these agents have taken over and now dictates who plays for the country by manipulating whoever is in charge.
It is sad to note that for the third time in a row, Nigeria will not feature in the U-17 World Cup which was akin to a birthright in yesteryears. Agents are typical businessmen looking for who to prey on. They are rich, cunning and smart with sugar-coated tongues. They come in sheep’s clothing but many are wolves and devourers.
They offer irresistible gifts that coaches may not be able to turn down except they are made of stone. Once you reject them, you become an instant enemy and they will do everything possible to bring you down. They are armed with blackmail terms and can discredit you before those that matter.
No national or club coach has been able to survive them because of their networks. A coach who was recently suspended ( names withheld) told me of his experience with an agent, that is if he was really an agent. In my conversation with him, he disclosed that they had a fruitful season last year where they lost just one match.
At the beginning of this season, this agent who has been lurking around for years finally brought players to his club. He insisted that the players must be used which is their trademark. As a coach, he knew it would be suicidal to introduce or play the new players at the expense of better ones. He decided on integrating the new ones in a gradual process, which fetched them good results.
But it did not go down well with the supposed agent. At the end, it was a bitter pill for the suspended coach to swallow but he told me he has decided to take his case to God.
A female employee of the Pointer Newspaper once told me how a football administrator-cum-agent swindled her of N500,000 on the pretext of helping her son to get a club outside the country. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) must down come hard on agents lurking around clubs.
An agent cannot manage a club or be an adviser because of conflict of interest and the broader impact on sports culture. Coaches should be encouraged to report these agents to the appropriate authorities whenever they go beyond their mandates. Finally, if not checked, the country will be the loser for it, as well as coaches and players.
