The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Congress held on 11 June 2014 officially approved to abolish the current Players’ Agent Regulation as of the end of March, 2015 and to introduce the new intermediary system in accordance with the newly-enacted “Regulations on working with intermediaries.”
Following the decision by the FIFA, the Japan Football Association (JFA) has announced the following statement at the 10th board meeting on 9 October after deliberate discussion regarding the administration of the current agent system and the new intermediary system in Japan.

１．About the current system

Along with the abolishment of the Players’ Agent Regulation of the FIFA, the JFA’s players’ agent regulation will be terminated as of the end of March, 2015. Accordingly, certified players agent licenses will become invalid as of the same date. 

２．About the new system

Based on the FIFA Regulations on working with intermediaries, the JFA shall formulate the “intermediaries regulation” valid inside Japan by March 2015. With regard to that, the JFA determined to constitute JFA’s “regulations on working with intermediaries” as per the basic JFA premise as follows. 

Policies of “Regulations on Working with Intermediaries” in Japan

- In principal, the domestic regulations shall be formulated in accordance with the FIFA’s intermediaries regulation.”
- No original certification system will be instituted only within Japan. The system maintains to accord with the FIFA’s intermediaries regulations as a player (or a club) registers an intermediary for the JFA.
- The system regarding the intermediary registration and its procedures will be organised.
- The system to be organised is also targeted to prevent any antisocial parties from taking up an intermediary duty.
- Additional measures are considered to maintain safe and fair transactions and market transparency.

Miscellaneous

- The new regulation will come into force on 1 April 2015. Until the end of March 2015, the current system will be valid, and no person is allowed to make an agency agreement with any person other than a certified agent or lawyer who is approved by the current system.
- If the player’s (or a club’s) current agency agreement with a certified agent (or lawyer) overlaps the date of commencement, 1 April 2015, of the new system, the contract will remain to be valid during the agreement period even after the new system’s enforcement. However, in this case, the player (or a club) at stake shall be obligated to register their current agent (or lawyer) for the JFA as an “intermediary” promptly after the new registration becomes effective.