Zenit is a leader in payments to agents. Spartak spent less for the first time in two years
Polina Kuimova April 3, 2024, 14:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
We are studying the new RFU report.
The RFU has published an annual report on payments to intermediaries made by clubs in 2023. This time, not only rubles, dollars and euros, but also yuan were used for the calculations. Due to the volatility of the ruble, an accurate translation of the currency is impossible, so we take as a basis the average nominal exchange rate for 2023: 1 dollar = 84.66 rubles, 1 euro = 91.59 rubles, 1 yuan = 11.93 rubles.
Approximately, the clubs spent about 4.18 billion rubles on payments to agents. From them:
2,352,780 yuan (26,798,164.2 rubles); €28,783,734 (2,636,302,197.06 rubles); 2,557,883 dollars (216,550,374.78 rubles); 1,304,042,955 rubles;
The total amount of payments is one billion rubles more than the previous year.
Spartak, which has been the leader in agent payments for the past few years, this year is not the first – Zenit took its place. In total, the St. Petersburg club paid the agents about 856.6 million rubles (33,750,000 rubles and 8,983,800 euros). And in 2022, 553.07 million.
The report does not include several RPL clubs: Akhmat, Rubin and Fakel. But there is data about ANO Football-Hockey, which paid agents 1.2 million rubles.
Ural was the one that paid the least to intermediaries: only 15 million rubles. Spartak is the only club that paid agents in yuan. In total, the Moscow Club spent 562.13 million rubles on payments (a year earlier – 611.85 million). Only four RPL clubs paid exclusively in rubles: Lokomotiv (242,088,818 rubles), Rostov (185,223,494), Pari NN (127,059,380) and Ural (15,000,000). Krasnodar, among the best clubs, spent the least on intermediaries: 144,003,170 rubles.
Club2023, million rublesZenit 856.6 Dynamo 801.41 CSKA 624.15 Spartak 562.13 Lokomotiv 242.08 Rostov 185.22 Krylya Sovetov 182.28 Krasnodar 144 Pari NN 127.06 “Orenburg” 112.14 “Sochi” 104.81 “Baltika” 33.7 3 “U raul” 15
Of all the clubs that regularly operate in the RPL and report, only Spartak and Lokomotiv spent less on agent fees in the accounting year than in the past. Krasnodar and Dynamo’s expenses increased significantly.
Over the course of five years, only a few changes have occurred: Lokomotiv, which a year earlier was in third place in terms of expenses, became fifth. Its place was taken by Dynamo: in 2023, the club spent a lot of money.
Club20192020202120222023TotalSpartak 9624 ,21949,1 “Lokomotiv” 63,2500,4465,3364,62421635,5 “Rostov” 205,1101,5261,6181,9185,2935,3 “Krasnodar” 257,398,5121,674,9144696,3 “Sochi”14 ,6020.976.2104.8216.5
(all data in millions of rubles)
Interestingly, according to FIFA, global payments also reached a record last year: they amounted to $881 million. In addition, on January 9 of last year, new rules on payments to agents came into force: now the representative of a footballer who earns more than $200,000 per year cannot claim more than 3% deductions from the transaction. If the player’s salary is lower, agents will not receive more than 5% of the player’s fees. Additionally, if the agent acts on behalf of the selling club, he may receive a maximum of 10% of the transaction; if he belongs to the buyers club – 6%; of the player – 3%.
More about the rules
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