FA plans to restrict agents

Graham Taylor once said he would like to line every agent up against the wall and shoot them. In an imperfect world the rest of football has to find an accommodation with the people who are described either as leeches, or valued advisers, depending on which side of the negotiations the speaker is on.

Regulation is football's answer and, after the effective failure of Fifa's scheme, the English game is about to go it alone. Prompted and cajoled by Arsenal, the Football Association and Premier League are to bring in a new contract for every transfer. It will detail exactly where the money is going, which the player concerned, his agent, and the buying and selling clubs will all have to sign before the FA ratifies the move. Stiff penalties would apply to clubs breaking the agreement. It is hoped the other major European leagues will follow suit.

In a proposed separate agreement between the buying club and the agent, the intention is to restrict agents to a fee totalling five per cent of either the player's gross salary or the transfer fee. The agent will also have to promise not to tout the player around against his club's consent. If he does, they would have recourse to a civil action against the agent. In addition, the agent's fee will be paid in instalments during the course of the contract.

Arsenal, after the bitter lessons of the Nicolas Anelka affair, and this summer's saga with Patrick Vieira, already insist on similar clauses in all new contracts. They also ask the agent concerned to swear on the Bible. Several clubs are following their lead.

The obvious problem with enforcing both proposals is establishing proof of wrong-doing, but, said David Dein, the vice-chairman of Arsenal and the FA, such contracts are "a fair start". Dein added: "This allows clubs to take action if an agent flaunts the rules. If an agent tries to sell our player, he incurs our wrath."

It is believed that Vieira was the subject of £30m bids from Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid this summer. Dein would not confirm this but said: "The board would not have sold him for £80m. We stood up for the fact that a high-profile player, one of the best in the world, should respect his contract. I wonder how many other clubs would have done what we did?"