Certainly, the most interesting content in this post is the identity of trineeborne, rather than his actual words.
I have no axe to grind either way, but I do have one or two opinions on the matter.
From my perspective as an English football supporter, I'd like to make these comments:
Without Mike Berry, many T&T players probably wouldn't have made the trip overseas. Not because of their talent (or lack of), but because no one in England really gave a toss about Trinidad &Tobago. Maybe Terry Fenwick improved the T&T profile, but I think without Mike Berry the impact wouldn't have been the same.
Accepting the above statement, many T&T players looking to make the trip abroad would automatically approach Berry for representation, as he is clearly the "market leader" in obtaining clubs and work permits for T&T players.
Such a player as described above, would of course agree to Berrys contract terms, as, it would appear, they are standard terms for all players, and the player may well know another of Berrys stable who signed a similar contract.
However, once landing in England and realising that it is not common for English players to pay 10% of their salary as an agents fee, the player may well feel upset. Much in the same way that you would if you agreed a "standard" deal, only to find that it is not a standard practice.
10% of £50,000 per week is a lot of money, but you still have £45,000 to live on. 10% of £1,000 per week only leaves you with £900 per week.
In England it works this way= £1,000 less tax (approx 30% in this case) = £700 less £100 (Berry) = £600 per week. A modest house will have a mortgage of £1000 per month. (Rent would cost around £800 per month) Please note, these are approx figures and have no relation to any specific players. My point is, that 10% of your wage is a lot to pay at the lower end of the market, especially if none of your team mates pay their agents that way.
From a purely business sense, Berry has the right to charge whatever he can get away with, however, he must accept that this could be challenged in the future.
Is it also fair to be paid by a player and a club? See above. However, if the player is happy, thats up to him. But does the player realise he will be taxed on the amount paid to the agent by the club? The agents fee from the club is classed by the UK Inland Revenue as a benefit in kind. This means that although someone else paid the fee, the player received the benefit i.e. the agents advice and service. This is taxed at the players highest rate, usually 40% and takes around 18 months to filter through. There is a well known case of an Italian player moving to England without paying the agent, as the agent was paid by the club. The story goes that 18 months later, the player received a tax bill for £400,000. The agent was paid £1,000,000.
So, in the case of Carlos, will he have to pay £36,000 tax on the £90,000 fee that Berry received from Luton? From the press statements, Berry admitted that some of the fee wasn't declared to the authorities. So, was Carlos aware of the fee? Shouldn't that £90,000 have gone to Carlos and then he could pay Berry what he felt was fair? 10% seems to be the favourite figure. Maybe Carlos doesn't care, but maybe he doesn't realise he will get a tax bill for £36,000. Did Berry explain that to his client?
Mike Berry has cornered the market in T&T players, and hopefully, will continue to bring players over. He has intimated that he would be happy to work with FPATT, and that seems sensible for both parties, however, I would imagine that here would need to be some discussion as to the contract terms offered to players.
However, I would think that Berrys ties with Jack Warner and TTFF would need to be examined first. I do not see how a player could feel confident of his agents services if he is also paid by the players employer (TTFF or the LOC). I have no input as to Mike Berrys position regarding the blacklisted players and TTFF/LOC. However, I do not recall one statement from Mike Berry attacking TTFF for significantly damaging his clients careers. I don't know how many of the black listed players are represented by Berry, but I know that any agent with a player in the same situation would see his potential future income threatened and would make a press statement calling for the lifting of the blacklist and contemplating legal action against the Federation. So, I would like to see Mike Berry fight on his clients behalf and publically denounce the actions of TTFF. Of course, if he is still being paid by TTFF, that may be difficult. In which case, he should either reimburse TTFF and stand by his clients or reimburse his clients and support TTFF. It may even be the case that, as a member of the TTFF LOC, he actually voted against his clients.
What say you, trineeborne? You're obviously close to Mike Berry, can you enlighten us? Much like Jack Warner, you cannot continue to admire a man for his past accomplishments, when his current activities are questionable. Perhaps you can shed some light on Mike Berrys status re the above points, so that we, the uninformed, can decide ourselves who is to be supported in the future. After all, agents receive much criticism from all areas of football, but to see an agent come out to support his wronged client would receive unanimous backing and increase his standing amongst players and supporters immeasurably.
