Bogus football agents beware! The SA Football Players Union (Safpu) has canvassed the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to go after agents who are in the business of milking players.

Spurred by their improved relations with the PSL, the union wants to tackle the scourge of rogue agents.

"We have maintained that players are being overcharged for things like contract negotiations. Some agents charge 20 percent for that [for signings on-fee]," Safpu president Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe said.

"It can't be that agents make money from players and none of that money goes back into football. We need a structure within the union that looks at the interest of the players.

"It cannot be that a player only sees an agent when it's time to negotiate."

The PSL has given Safpu a seat at the dinner table after it was announced yesterday that the organisations have signed a bargaining agreement.

Among other things, the agreement will look to improve the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC), standardise player's contracts and educate players on handling their finances. In SA, it has become a norm for players to become penniless after hanging up their boots due to poor financial literacy.

The struggles of ex-stars - including Lerato Chabangu, Junaid Hartley, Junior Khanye and Benedict Vilakazi - have been well documented.

"Too often we have seen players become destitute after their playing days are over and sometimes people tend to blame the clubs about what are they doing to stop this thing from happening," PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said.

With the PSL having recently announced record revenues of R1bn, Khoza also confirmed that the union will receive funding from the league.

"There will also be financial support for Safpu to enable the union to continue to grow its membership and participate in its campaigns aimed at improving levels of knowledge. There must be proper engagement with the league and the league," he said.