“There is a perception, perhaps externally and in many cases unfounded, that anyone can be an agent,” says Dean Eldredge, who runs Oporto Sports.
Eldredge deals exclusively with technical managers and coaches, having worked with Sven-Goran Eriksson before his death in August, and passed the first test in April 2023.
Porto have 15 coaches and managers on their books, including former Leicester and Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson, Barnsley boss Daryl Clarke, Rotherham boss Steve Evans and former Lincoln and Blackburn boss Michael Appleton.
“It's easy to say, 'Oh, there's a lot of money being lost in the game because it's going to the agents,'” Eldredge says.
“Well, if the agents are good and the agency is well-run, it is necessary to support that person.
“While the test is a positive step for the industry, it was much less important to me.
“I may be one of the few who specialize in working with managers, so that could be something they could look into.”
The test may not get everything right but it is the first step to getting a minimum of knowledge about the international transfer system, how it works, how a player can be registered for clubs or how to represent juniors.
The exam was widely welcomed, despite some criticism of the questions. It is estimated that the number of factors will be reduced by more than half.
FIFA accepts that the questions have nothing to do with the agent's day-to-day responsibility – nor are they supposed to. FIFA regulates the international transfer system and not the day-to-day care of players, so the test focuses on market knowledge, not human knowledge.
“If it reduces the number of bad agents in the game, then that's a good thing,” says former Walsall and Doncaster defender Jimmy O'Connor, who has joined Wasserman. “It shouldn't be a given that you can make a career in football.”
It is one of the largest agencies in the world, with clients including Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, Manchester City and England defender John Stones, Liverpool's Curtis Jones and Newcastle's Harvey Barnes.
O'Connor will sit the exam on his 40th birthday, after a 15-year playing career that began as an apprentice at Aston Villa and ended at Kidderminster.
Former Bristol City and Norwich striker Aaron Wilbraham – who passed his exam last year – is at Murdock Sports Group, which is headed by former Preston and Northern Ireland defender Colin Murdock.
“I've had bad experiences,” said Wilbraham, who played for 10 clubs and retired at the age of 40 in 2020.
“I remember my first agent saying to me: ‘It doesn’t matter who your agent is, if you do it on the pitch you will get your moves.’ But that’s not the case.”
“Everything else off the field needs to be taken care of so you can focus on football.
“If you're in good shape, you need someone in the background drawing attention to yourself, running the boards and attracting attention.
“The player has someone to call when something goes wrong and they may not want to call their father, who may be a construction worker and not know what to do next.
“They have someone who knows football.”