Agents, clubs or parents? Who is to blame for the exploitation of young players – the Athletic

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Inside the dome of the Crystal Palace National Sports Center, a group of 40 young people are put to the test.

Aspiring players arrive at the Kinetic Foundation in their school uniforms before starting a session. Their hope here is to be guided in the professional game, but most are too aware of the pitfalls that come with pursuing this dream.

Although they are all over 16, they have learned that the “talented youngster” status attracts attention. And all of this is not faultless or justified.

One of the youngsters told The Athletic that he regularly receives messages on social media. He was first approached by an agent when he was 12 years old. He is not alone.

“Most of my friends have had similar experiences,” he says. “It happens all the time.

“They don’t go through the parents because they know what the answer will be. They fill the child’s head with dreams and ideas. You are sensitive to these things at this age.

Football Association regulations state that intermediaries cannot contact a young player, either directly or indirectly, until the year of their 16th birthday. They cannot represent a player under 18 without parental authorization. They cannot earn fees until the player is 18 years old.

And yet, for all those who play by the rules, there are plenty of intentions to break them.

Athletic spoke to officers, coaches, scouts, players, parents and club staff and learned of a system in which rules designed to protect minors are flouted. It is an issue that transcends the football ecosystem, with complicit clubs and the system claimed by some to contribute, if not to incite, to bad practices.

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