FIFA said that "agents and other intermediaries received an average commission rate" of 28% on the 11,555 cross-border player transfers that took place last year, according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. FIFA "didn’t disclose how much money changed hands in the global transfer market" in a year when top players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robin van Persie, Eden Hazard and Hulk changed clubs. Figures released last year by UEFA showed more than €3B ($3.9B) "is spent annually on player trading." The new figures, which do not include trading between clubs in the same country, showed deals between Brazil and Portugal "were the most common, with Brazilians the most traded players" (BLOOMBERG, 1/8). The AAP reported FIFA aims to "revolutionise" the transfer market by helping clubs avoid using agents. FIFA said that it is "developing a system to help clubs deal directly with each other, and give information about players available to sign." FIFA Club Football Committee Chair Jacques Anouma said, "This will revolutionise the international and national transfer system." FIFA is also working to restrict agents' business by "preparing rules that will limit third-party investments in players' transfer rights." Proposed regulations on agents will be discussed by the FIFA exec committee at a meeting March 20-21 in Zurich, Switzerland (AAP, 1/9).
