What is the Agents Chamber?
On 21 May 2021, the FIFA Council approved the creation of the FIFA Football Tribunal, a singular decision-making body made up of three chambers: the Dispute Resolution Chamber, the Players’ Status Chamber, and the Agents Chamber. Whilst the Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Players’ Status Chamber have been in operation for some time, the introduction of the Agents Chamber has been delayed to coincide with the introduction of the new FIFA Football Agents Regulations (or the “FFAR”).
The introduction of the FFAR, the Agent Exam and the Agents Chamber comes as part of a widespread reform by FIFA of the regulation of Football Agents (or intermediaries).
Whilst the FFAR have undoubtedly been controversial, and challenges to their legality are under way in a number of jurisdictions (read more about those challenges here), the Agents Chamber is among the less controversial propositions and FIFA has now confirmed that the FFAR came into force, and the Agents Chamber began operation, on 1 October 2023.
The Agents Chamber will decide disputes arising out of Representation Agreements with an “international dimension”. In other words, any dispute arising out of a contract governing Football Agent Services in connection with an international transfer of a player or coach can be brought before the Agents Chamber. Disputes arising out of Representation Agreements that do not have this cross-border element will be decided before the dispute resolution bodies of the relevant national association.
In addition, in order to be brought before the Agents Chamber, the Representation Agreement must have been entered into between the parties on or after 1 October 2023, and the claim must have been brought within two years of the event that gave rise to the dispute. Bringing a claim is, however, free of charge.
If you have any questions about whether the Agents Chamber could decide any disputes arising out of a Representation Agreement you are entering into (or have entered into), please see our FAQ section or give us a call.