FAM warns agents
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has warned local player agents to follow procedures and get licensed or risk a ban from facilitating transfer deals on behalf of players.
FAM club licensing and compliance manager Casper Jangale said in an interview that currently Malawi has no Fifa-licensed agent to act as intermediaries in player transfers, a development which has contributed to disputes.
“Malawi is losing out a lot by failing to produce Fifa agents. It’s also illegal to operate as an agent without a licence and it is punishable. We will not allow this to continue. If you think you have what it takes to be a Fifa agent, take the exam,” he said .
Jangale said in the last examinations in November 2023, over 50 expressed interest, 11 met the requirements, but only three turned up for the actual exam, but did not make the grade.
He said: “People register for the exams, but the outcome for the past three sessions has been horrible.”
The candidates sit for a 60-minute examination comprising 20 multiple-choice questions set by Fifa with 75 percent pass mark.
Said Jangale: “It’s a tough exam. You need to have good knowledge of football to make the grade.
“I think people fail the exam because they think they know football matters and think it’s easy just because it’s multiple choice.”
However, some individuals are still operating as players agents and acting as intermediaries in transfers.
To this observation, Jangale said: “We know most of these disputes in transfers are there because those involved have no knowledge of the transfer regulations.”
He said tracking the individuals who pose as Fifa agents is tough since they use underhand dealings with clubs and they are only exposed when there is a dispute.
Said Jangale: “Since these ‘dobadobas’ [intermediaries] are not certified, they will not officially appear on the transfer deal to get the official 10 percent cut of the deal.
“They get their illegal cut under the table. But when things go wrong, that’s when you start hearing their names coming out as having been involved as intermediaries.”
FAM has since advised interested individuals to register for upcoming player agents examinations set for November this year.
Some clubs have said in the absence of the Fifa agents, they prefer to deal directly with clubs players they are interested in are affiliated.
Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga said in an interview that they are aware that there are no Fifa agents in the country.
He said: “It’s easy to identify a fake agent because Fifa agents have licences. In our case, we deal directly with the players’ owners [clubs].
“In some cases, players come to the negotiating table with their managers, but these only negotiate a player’s personal terms and not representing a club.”
Meanwhile, registration for November Fifa agents examinations is underway and eligible candidates must not have a criminal record, according to Fifa.
The candidates must also not have been found delivering football agent services without the required licence in the past 24 months.
Those suspended for two years or more by a regulatory authority or a sports governing body are not eligible.
The exam attracts a $30 (about K52 000) fee while successful candidates are required to pay $600 (about K1 million) annual fee.
But one of the unlicensed agents, who asked for anonymity, cited lack of information on the process of qualifying as a Fifa agent.
He said: “I didn’t even know that people have been taking the Fifa agents exams. You are saying people are currently registering for November exams, did you see any notice from FAM on this?”
Before the 2023 exams, Malawi’s Fifa licensed player agents included James Woods, Felix Ngamanya Sapao, Mwayi Msungama, Jimmy Zakazaka, Yasin Maoni, Bolakunthanzi Sports Management Agency and Lunjika Moyo.
