The agent threatened to pull his clients out of the game
Across the years, Mino Raiola has been at war of words with multitude people and clubs. The agent’s petulant nature and decadent personality has resulted in things getting ugly and turning sour between him and organisations.
Raiola has now decided to take on FIFA, the sport’s governing council. Its down to the impending reforms FIFA are set to have in the works, ones which will put a cap over the fees an agent can extract from a client’s sale.
However, that isn’t only the bone of contention Raiola has with FIFA. The agent in an interview given recently lashed out at EA Sports over what he cited was the company’s exploitation of his players’ rights.
Raiola Threatens To Withdraw His Clients
Manifold players have over the year threatened legal action over EA Sports for using their image rights without their consent in the FIFA franchisee. EA Sports are said to have not compensated a bevy of players across the world with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland and Paul Pogba being amongst the most notable of such players.
Raiola has now threatened to withdraw his clients from FIFA 21 if EA Sports refuses to accord them with the viable monetary remuneration.
“I think we can, they think we don’t, but I think we can! Because there is a difference in the collective rights they said they bought.
“They buy collective rights from clubs that say they have it, but they use it on an individual basis and in most countries this is forbidden.
“We think that they are abusing rights of players, that they are not being bought from clubs and the club doesn’t own them.”
Raiola added: ” If you want to buy a Paul Pogba card or a Zlatan Ibrahimovic card, you have to pay a certain amount but they send you 10 cards and you need to be happy that if in one of those 10 cards is one of the players you wanted.
“So, there is a betting component, a lottery in that game and this is not what this game should be about.”
Raiola also commented on FIFA’s impending sanctions and regulations for agents.
“This is something which FIFA should not even regulate. FIFA is there to only to try and organise a World Championship and even in that they are very bad. I think in England they know how bad they are at organising in a proper and transparent way a World Championship,” Mino said.
“You have to understand these are people who are – for no reason whatsoever – are invited by heads of states.
“Can you imagine why a head of state should invite the president of FIFA, what the hell? What the hell did he do for the world to be invited by the head of state?
“Can you imagine that FIFA always ask that for a world cup they don’t pay taxes in the country where they organised the venue? It’s ridiculous for words.”
