The dealings of soccer agents are not always as glamorous as they look.
For Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse, 27, who has been a Fifa qualified soccer agent since 2009, the hard work of scouting for amateur players and grooming them to become professionals is the difference that makes or breaks an agent's streak.
She made history by becoming the first female South African Fifa-accredited agent. Some of her clients, managed by her company P Management, include Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro, Golden Arrows midfielder Edgar Manaka and Belgium-based striker Ronald Kampamba.
Question: Why is becoming a soccer agent such a hard process?
Answer: It has to do with the regulations.
Previously when I was applying to be an agent, I had to get indemnity insurance for R1-million. I had to bring the money equivalent of that [as surety] to be held by Safa. This served as an insurance service fee.
Q: How were you able to raise the funds?
A: We [as a company] have been operating since 2007, so I had a little bit of a track record with the office [Safa], so it was easy for them to do a risk assessment on me and then give me a [reduced] premium that I had to pay.
Q: What led you to this career?
A: I was studying international relations at Wits when together with some friends we decided to try out sports management since we love sport.
We then started by offering coaching clinics to amateur soccer players in our neighbourhood [Orlando East, Soweto].
Q: Passing the Fifa test is deemed very difficult, how did you fare?
A: The Fifa exam is set by Fifa and a few questions by Safa. It is structured in a format of case studies as questions. Basically, it' s about how players are transferred from one club to another and obtaining international clearance certificate. I failed twice before I passed.
Q: Who was your first client and how did you convince them to join?
A: It was an amateur player. We approached him with a contract and our vision of what we could offer. We gave him time, and after a couple of days he signed with us.
Q: How do agents facilitate transfer of players?
A: When a club is interested in a player, it could either approach the player's club or his agent. If the clubs agree on the move, then we discuss transfer fees and contract.
Karabo plays with the big boys
The dealings of soccer agents are not always as glamorous as they look.
For Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse, 27, who has been a Fifa qualified soccer agent since 2009, the hard work of scouting for amateur players and grooming them to become professionals is the difference that makes or breaks an agent's streak.
She made history by becoming the first female South African Fifa-accredited agent. Some of her clients, managed by her company P Management, include Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro, Golden Arrows midfielder Edgar Manaka and Belgium-based striker Ronald Kampamba.
Question: Why is becoming a soccer agent such a hard process?
Answer: It has to do with the regulations.
Previously when I was applying to be an agent, I had to get indemnity insurance for R1-million. I had to bring the money equivalent of that [as surety] to be held by Safa. This served as an insurance service fee.
Q: How were you able to raise the funds?
A: We [as a company] have been operating since 2007, so I had a little bit of a track record with the office [Safa], so it was easy for them to do a risk assessment on me and then give me a [reduced] premium that I had to pay.
Q: What led you to this career?
A: I was studying international relations at Wits when together with some friends we decided to try out sports management since we love sport.
We then started by offering coaching clinics to amateur soccer players in our neighbourhood [Orlando East, Soweto].
Q: Passing the Fifa test is deemed very difficult, how did you fare?
A: The Fifa exam is set by Fifa and a few questions by Safa. It is structured in a format of case studies as questions. Basically, it' s about how players are transferred from one club to another and obtaining international clearance certificate. I failed twice before I passed.
Q: Who was your first client and how did you convince them to join?
A: It was an amateur player. We approached him with a contract and our vision of what we could offer. We gave him time, and after a couple of days he signed with us.
Q: How do agents facilitate transfer of players?
A: When a club is interested in a player, it could either approach the player's club or his agent. If the clubs agree on the move, then we discuss transfer fees and contract.