The dark side of high-dollar transfers in global soccer

A man in position to know has pulled back the curtain on some outrageous and unpleasant stuff that unfolds around the transfer window.

West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan wrote a personal account for the Daily Mail in England. And is this thing powerful.

Sullivan says he was threatened personally, and that one of his players was also threatened by an agent who felt sidelined on a deal. He predicts more than threats in the future, warning of the very real possibility than actual violence will infect the process unless tighter regulations are imposed.

And the greed! Agents who once asked for $100,000 for their part in a lucrative transfer now demand north of $1 million for their role, he said.

It really is must-read stuff. Among the text:

It was all deeply unpleasant and I’m glad it’s over. Now we can get on with the football. Harry Redknapp was right: it feels like gang warfare out there and I can see it spilling over into violence in the future, unless there is legislation from the FA to curb the practices.

“People do desperate things when they are desperate. We read of people robbing betting shops or post offices with sawn-off shotguns for £5,000. We are talking millions of pounds here around a transfer and not enough deals to go around. There are too many agents and not enough transfers to feed them.”