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There’s a lot wrong with modern football, but few influences have been as toxic as big-time agents, whose conduct has gotten so out of control in recent years that FIFA—itself hardly a paragon of virtue—is trying to crack down on them.

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As part of a new podcast series about the long-running management series (via Eurogamer), The Athletic kick things off with series director director Miles Jacobson saying “I’ve had agents that have tried to bribe me to put stuff up, and the ones that have asked me that know to never ask me that again. Because, I’m not one for bribing.”

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This kind of behind-closed-doors stuff Jacobson is talking about is different, though, and would be heinous if it wasn’t also so pathetic. You can see why agents would be trying it: some clubs trust FM’s scouting network so much that they make real-world decisions based on Football Manager’s player ratings, so if a player’s ratings were boosted then so too would be their chances of attracting a lucrative move, which in turn would juice the agent’s fees.

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some clubs trust FM’s scouting network so much that they make real-world decisions based on Football Manager’s player ratings, so if a player’s ratings were boosted then so too would be their chances of attracting a lucrative move, which in turn would juice the agent’s fees.

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