More and more matches, especially in the Premier League, have to be postponed due to the high number of positive cases that are occurring among footballers. One of the players who has been absent in recent days due to contagion is Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea player and represented by Federico Pastorello. The Italian footballers’ representative, recently named ‘Best Agent of the Year’ by the Globe Soccer Awards, has given an interview to the newspaper The National, in which he has assessed the current situation in football due to the pandemic. The vaccination of professionals is creating great controversy, due to the refusal of some players to get vaccinated. A problem that could arise from the lawn to the offices. “If two players have the same level of skills, transfer fee and salary, and one has been vaccinated and the other does not want to do it, perhaps I understand that this could be a problem”, Pastorello acknowledged when asked about the transfer market.
Both Jürgen Klopp and Ralf Rangnick, coaches from Liverpool and Manchester United respectively, said they would be more cautious in the next transfer windows than incorporating unvaccinated players, something with which the Italian agent is “in agreement”. Likewise, Romelu Lukaku’s representative believes that “You can count on the fingers of one hand – perhaps there are two or three players per squad, no more – who are not vaccinated”. Although vaccination could be a determining factor when undertaking signings during the next month of January, COVID infections are also found in those who have received the complete guideline. “According to my information, many players who now have COVID are all vaccinated. So, unfortunately, it seems that the vaccine does not protect us 100%”adds Pastorello.
In relation to this issue, the recently named ‘Best Agent of the Year’ was also asked if he would advise his clients to get vaccinated, and thus avoid possible problems in the transfer market: “It is a very sensitive issue. to my players, the truth is that we do not recommend it because it is something that must be respected. Because there are players who don’t want to, and you have to respect them “. Although the representative of Italian footballers believes that these should be the ones who make the decision to get vaccinated or not, Pastorello is “in favor of the vaccine. Not only for our work, but also for society. Because if there were another closure it would really be a great problem, not only for soccer, but for many other areas of our planet “. Regarding the suspension of the meetings, Pastorello concluded that “All possible measures are taken, but all the players have a private life, so the problem, unfortunately, came from outside, not from inside the field”.
Pastorello, in favor of regulating commissions
Today, many of the world’s best footballers are as well known for their careers as they are for the agents who represent them. And that is because the figure of the representative has more and more weight in the player’s career. This fact has caused the commissions charged by agents for each transfer to have skyrocketed in recent years – more than 500M in 2021 – to the point that FIFA wants to impose a cap of 10% from next year. A limit that Pastorello has positioned in favor of: “Our commissions have risen to really important amounts, perhaps too much for the responsibility we have. We are not the footballers, we are not the clubs. We are a very important mechanism in this business, but I think there should be a limit. We are not the most important part, that’s for sure. “At the same time, the Italian has affirmed that the figure of the representative, currently, is vital in the face of the decisions that a player must make during his career. “A good agent can make a big difference in the career of the player and, consequently, that of the club. If the player is well managed, the club will also win by having the most stable and focused player in his career. It is a domino effect. Personally, we have invested a lot in our structure to try to offer our player the best possible career. That said, I think we can set a more correct limit in terms of commissions. “Romelu Lukaku’s agent admits.
Pastorello recognizes that, although both UEFA and FIFA could control by law the percentage that representatives receive for a transfer, it also appeals to the responsibility of the clubs to comply with the agreed terms, since there are amounts that the agents do not reach to receive. “We are not against putting a limit, but we would also like to have some protection so that they pay us on time. This is less of a problem for big agents, but a bigger problem for those with only two or three players. We are talking with the institutions. With FIFA it is really complicated, but UEFA is much more open-minded, younger and more open to discussing this issue, “said Pastorell in the interview with The National. However, and despite the amounts that have moved in recent transfer markets, the recently named ‘Best Agent of the Year’ by the Globe Soccer Awards does not predict a particularly active next winter market: “For the big clubs I don’t expect great things, because they have incredible squads anyway. Maybe some loans, but nothing special. The biggest clubs still have four or five more players than they should, so I think they will focus more on trying to get those players out. “.