Football agents to hold crisis meeting over FIFA's proposed earnings cap

• Agents are attempting to combat FIFA plans to cap their earnings from transfers 
• FIFA want agents to earn no more than three per cent of a transfer fee 
• It comes after Mino Raiola earned £41m from Paul Pogba's move to Man United

Football agents will hold a crisis meeting in a bid to combat FIFA plans to cap their earnings from player transfers.

FIFA are proposing a three per cent limit for an agent’s cut on a deal, part of a range of much-needed measures to regulate middlemen.

Consultations at FIFA are ongoing but Mike Miller, chairman of the Association of Football Agents, is sufficiently concerned to encourage his members to attend a summit in Barnet on Wednesday, which FIFA delegates will attend.

His email to agents read: ‘Did you know FIFA is considering new rules that will put a mandatory cap on how much you can earn from player’s transfers? That’s right: a mandatory cap. That will affect every single agent and intermediary.’

Miller, a former BBC head of sport and World Rugby CEO, believes agents are being singled out, arguing such measures do not exist in other cases where money goes out of football.

FIFA’s attempts to bring order to the business of football agents, having passed the buck to individual countries to regulate them in 2015, will be welcomed by many in the game.

Other proposals include players paying all agency fees, rather than clubs, and an end to the loophole that allows agents to represent both player and club in a transfer.

Mino Raiola’s £41million cut from Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester United from Juventus in 2016 was the transfer that kick-started FIFA into taking control of agents.

England’s backroom World Cup staff took advantage of a players’ day off by getting haircuts. Three barbers were brought in from London to the Grove hotel outside Watford to tidy up the FA personnel.

Despite the £600m on offer from Shahid Khan to buy Wembley and boost FA coffers, each member of staff had to pay £25 for their trim. 

Reshmin Chowdhury of BT Sport and talkSPORT super irritant Ian Abrahams did not impress colleagues by having selfies taken with Gareth Bale after the Champions League final while supposedly working.

Abrahams also pestered actor Jamie Dornan for a picture at the PGA Championship Celebrity pro-am.

West Brom may have the benefit of parachute payments to soften the blow of relegation to the Championship next season, but they are still cutting costs across the board. Even the gesture of offering each member of staff two season tickets has now been withdrawn.

Morocco’s 2026 boost

Morocco's World Cup 2026 bid is understood to have narrowly satisfied FIFA’s inspection, with the report published on Friday.

This will enable the African outsiders to go head to head with the united bid of the USA, Mexico and Canada. A vote of more than 200 FIFA members will take place on June 13.

Despite their sub-standard stadium and accommodation ratings at this embryonic stage, it would be a scandal, even by FIFA standards, if Morocco were ruled out.

ITV Racing's Marmite character Matt Chapman will announce the trophy presentations for the Oaks and the Derby this week despite Clare Balding’s best efforts.

The high and mighty Epsom director was among those who had him hooked from the Derby ceremony last year because she didn’t approve of his irreverent style.

Trainer John Gosden’s Oaks favourite Lah Ti Dar has been withdrawn, and it was Chapman’s ‘Here’s Johnny G’ welcome to Gosden after his Oaks victory last year that caused all the fuss.

The trees behind the Compton and Edrich stands at Lord’s are supposed to be sacrosanct. Former England captain and MCC president Sir Gubby Allen always wanted to maintain a view of them from the pavilion.

But the proposed designs for the two stands would bring an end to the trees after the Ashes Test next year, when building starts on the £50m project.