Given the promising growth of the football industry in the CECAFA region and Uganda particularly, the number of registered official football intermediary keeps multiplying day after day.
The latest to follow suit is businessman and philanthropist, Abraham ‘Mr Economy’ Luzzi.
Having fulfilled the bare minimum mandatory requirement of $1100 (registration and licence fees), Luzzi is now a registered Players’ Intermediary based in Uganda.
In an interview with Kawowo Sports on why he chose to follow this path, Luzzi acknowledged the love for the game of football, as well as helping out the footballers with the viable connections.
I decided to become a FIFA Players’ Intermediary because I want to help many of our footballers here in Uganda to get exposed. Here, they would get better paying jobs and this means improved welfare for their families.
Luzzi joins Buddo S.S director Lawrence Muwonge who picked his working licence from the federation last week.
Earlier this year, former Uganda Cranes international Mike Sulaiman Mutyaba, Tushar Ruparelia, Daniel Kisseka Ntale and Fred Ronald ‘Ronnie Santos’ Niwagira Mwine were registered as intermediaries.
In 2016, five people were registered and these included Gibby Kalule, Musa Atagenda Ssebulime, Geofrey Solo Kayemba, Chadi Ezzeddine and Isaac Mwesigwa.
Other intermediaries as Brian Masembe, Livingstone Kyobe, Nasser Mulindwa, Tony Awori, Alintuma Nsambu and David Tigawalana are yet to renew their licences.
A football player intermediary is one responsible for providing the necessary linkage for the player (client) in as far as securing employment is concerned.
In the modern setting, he is one tasked to manage the player in all aspects of life to ensure that he is well kept in line of duty. He or she could in this case take the role of a counselor, finance manager, parent.
There is that capacity to hire legal, accounting services for the client for effective representation.
Famous football Agents
Besides Carmine ‘Mino’ Raiola, who is of Italian origin living in the Netherlands and also represents Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marco Verratti, Mario Balotelli, among others probably the most famous agent at the moment is Jorge Mendes, who (amongst others) represents Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho.
The most agents, by far, come from Italy. Italy has 949 registered football player agents.
