Newcastle are the latest club to be reported for tapping up not just one, but two players. Sochaux and Charlton Athletic have reported them for tapping up Modibo Maiga and Rob Elliot. Tapping up in football has seemingly become a common part of the game, with clubs frequently making illegal approaches for other clubs players. In light of this, is it about time we cleaned up the transfer system, by setting up an independent body to look at and deal with each individual transfer?
Tapping up is a serious business and there needs to be heavy penalties that are enforced. Chelsea were famously reported for tapping up Gael Kakuta, yet served zero punishment for the affair which doesn’t send a good message, and has set a precedent for everything that has come after.
The transfer market has grown to obscene levels, we only have to look at the sheer amounts of money spent in the last two windows to see this. This over inflated market needs to be regulated by an outside body more closely, considering the vast size of the industry and its clubs today. There is a lot of money going out of the country, because the FA simply cannot do complete checks on where it is all going. The FA have shown in the past that they have been unable to handle matters, and they simply lack the credibility of the public and clubs to clean up the game.
In 2007 the Stevens inquiry-which looked at suspicious transfer deals-recommended in its findings that an independent body should be set up to handle the audit of transfers rather than the FA. Yet nothing has changed. There is still no independent body set up to look into the murky world of transfer dealings. Football agents are still running the show and many transfer deals are still completed by non-registered agents. The system as a whole needs to be regulated better, particularly in light of the ludicrous fees now being thrown around.
The whole system needs to be regulated better right the way through, and a new regulation and compliance unit must be established, with independent experts to take on the work. The current system is open to continued abuses, and needs cleaning up. The game has a duty to ensure transfer regulations are tightened and financial matters are followed up, with experts looking closely at the money trail. Agents must be regulated tightly, and banned from dealing in Europe if they refuse to comply.
The sticking point is that it is very difficult to have a completely independent body in football. Who would sit on that panel and decide how it would be run? It would have to be done right with experts in the field who are totally independent, yet, can anyone in football claim to be truly independent? Everyone has either worked with clubs or agents to get to their current position.
The more clubs continue to get away with illegal approaches, the more it will continue to happen. Transfer dealings need to be brought under control, with far heavier punishment enforced upon offenders. The game is rotten to the core and it must become more transparent to ensure it doesn’t lose any more credibility. With the out and out greed that is now rife throughout the game, it is time for some reform in the transfer system, and a regulated sytem will be a step towards achieving that.
Written by Lauren Rutter for FootballFancast.com. Do you think the transfer system needs to be regulated? Let me know your thoughts below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
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