FIFA Exam for Player Agents Sees Nearly Half Fail

The recent FIFA exam that is mandatory for player agents who want to work in transfer and contract negotiations has seen nearly half of the candidates fail. The governing body announced that only 52% of the 3,800 candidates worldwide passed the test last week, which had 20 questions in either English, French, or Spanish, and a time limit of one hour.

The Licensing System

The exam is part of a new licensing system that FIFA is introducing to regulate an industry that earns hundreds of millions of dollars every year. The licensing system would cap fees and provide guidelines for the transfer and contract negotiations. FIFA wants to limit agent earnings to a maximum of 10% of transfer fees when they act for the selling club. Additionally, agents would be limited to taking 3% of a player’s salary when those earnings are over $200,000 per year, or 5% when the player earns up to $200,000. These limits would increase to 6% and 10%, respectively, when the agent acted for both the player and the club signing them.

Legal Challenges

FIFA is facing multiple legal challenges across Europe from agents and lawyers seeking to block the new licensing system. Some long-time agents, who have earned millions of dollars from high-profile transfer deals, can be exempted from the test if they apply for a license by September. However, they must commit to ongoing training.

Second Round of Exams

A second round of exams will be held in September for those who failed the first test. The cost of the test is $600, and the pass mark is set at 75%. The test is mandatory for would-be agents who were not licensed in 2015 under the previous system.

The FIFA exam for player agents has seen a significant number of candidates fail, with only 52% passing the test. The new licensing system aims to regulate an industry that earns hundreds of millions of dollars per year and limit agent earnings. FIFA is facing legal challenges from agents and lawyers seeking to block the new system. A second round of exams will be held in September for those who failed the first test.