Negotiation
Negotiation
Negotiation
With just over a month to go before free agent negotiations begin, Ipanema
striker Ama Ata Fie is in talks with U.S. football agent Lesley McGuire over
a potential agency deal. A native of Ghana, Fie tied a WWC points record
playing for the Ghanaian National
Team in the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and became a local favorite after
she joined Ipanema the following year. For the past six years, Fie has been
represented by fellow Ghanaian Kofi Mwenchena. While some sources
expressed surprise that Fie would contact an American agent now that her
contract with Mwenchena is expiring, others have commented that Fie and
McGuire would be a good match, given McGuire’s work with several other
football stars such as Canadian Susan Hackley and American Nancy Lawton.
Both Fie and McGuire declined to comment.
General Instructions
Three years ago, in the 2027 Women’s World Cup, a previously unknown
Ghanaian forward named Ama Ata Fie emerged as one of the most prolific
goal scorers in the world. In the opening round match against Belgium, Fie’s
three goals led Ghana to a remarkable 3 1 victory. In the quarterfinal
against Ecuador, Fie again scored three goals to put her country in the
semifinals for the first time in its history. While Ghana fell to Portugal in
the semifinals, Fie scored another goal and added an assist, leaving the
World Cup with 22 points and tying the Women’s World Cup record. After
her World Cup success, Fie’s agent, Kofi Mwenchena, negotiated a deal with
the Ipanema Football Club in Brazil. At the time, Ipanema was one of the
top clubs in the All-South American League. The three-year deal put Fie in
the upper echelon of South American club salaries with a US$12 million/year
contract. The average player salary in the League was US$6.5 million per
year, with US$15 million as the top salary. Initially, Fie lived up to
expectations. She scored an impressive three goals in five tournament games
during her first year, and was selected to the All-South American First
Team in both of her first two seasons. In her final season with Ipanema, Fie
failed to qualify for the League’s First Team (though she made the
Honorable Mention team), primarily because she suffered from serious
tendonitis in her Achilles tendon most of the season. The team has gone
downhill as well: in Fie’s first year with Ipanema, the team made it to the
finals of the South American Championships (where they lost to a
Venezuelan club
team); but in her second and third years, they did not advance beyond
the South American quarterfinals.
Exhibit A
Contract
Agreement made this 1st day of September, 2024, by and between Kofi
Mwenchena (hereinafter the “Agent”) and Ama Ata Fie (hereinafter the
“Player”). In consideration of the mutual promises contained in this
Agreement, the parties agree as follows:
The Agent shall not be entitled to receive any fee for the performance of
his services pursuant to this Agreement until the Player receives the
compensation upon which the fee is based. Within fifteen (15) days of the
Player’s receipt of each compensation payment during the term of this
Agreement, the Player shall make her fee payment to the Agent in the
amount computed in accordance with the paragraph above.
In no case shall the Agent accept, directly or indirectly, payment of his fee
from that Player’s club. Further, the amount of the Agent’s fee shall not
be discussed with the club with whom the Agent is negotiating on behalf of
the Player, nor shall the Agent or Player secure an agreement from the
club respecting the amount of the Agent’s fee.
Term: The term of this Agreement shall begin on the date hereof and shall
continue in effect for 6 years; provided, however, that either party may
terminate this Agreement effective thirty (30) days after written notice
of termination is given to the other party.
Arbitration: Any and all disputes between the Player and the Agent
involving the meaning, interpretation, application, or enforcement of this
Agreement or the obligations of the parties under this Agreement shall be
resolved exclusively through binding arbitration.
[Signed] [Signed]
(“Player”) (“Agent”)
[hace 4 semanas]
Con poco más de un mes para que comiencen las negociaciones de agentes
libres, el delantero de Ipanema Ama Ata Fie está en conversaciones con la
agente de fútbol estadounidense Lesley McGuire sobre un posible acuerdo de
agencia. Originario de Ghana, Fie empató un récord de puntos de la WWC
jugando para el Nacional de Ghana
Instrucciones generales
Anexo A
Contrato
($ 100,000.00); siempre que, sin embargo, si los gastos exceden los cien
mil dólares ($ 100,000.00), el Jugador estará obligado a reembolsar al
Agente el monto del exceso solo si ella dio su consentimiento previo expreso
al Agente para incurrir en esos gastos. El Jugador pagará sin demora todos
los gastos, tarifas y costos por los que está obligada en virtud de este
párrafo al recibir una declaración detallada.
On the one hand, you are grateful to Kofi for his support and assistance
over the past six years. On the other hand, you don’t get the same sense
of gratitude from him: in many ways, you have made his career. He has
risen to success primarily because of your performance on the football field.
Before your 2027 World Cup success, Kofi was an unknown agent with no
experience in international football. Now, he is well-known and well-
respected because of your success. You know that Kofi has recently landed
contracts with two new football players, and you doubt that that would
have happened if Kofi weren’t known for representing you. You would have
been happy to renew Kofi’s contract under the same terms as before, but
to your surprise, he’s now asking for a higher fee. His insistence on a new,
more expensive contract has offended you and caused a great deal of tension
in your relationship. It feels as if he is trying to hold you hostage before
the biggest contract negotiations of your career. You had assumed that you
and Kofi would be able to renegotiate your player-agent contract without
much difficulty, so you haven’t made any effort to investigate other
agents. In retrospect, this may have been a mistake, but you simply have
not had the time. Nevertheless, about two months ago, the well-known
U.S. agent Lesley McGuire approached you with an offer. McGuire
represents several prestigious football players and is known for her tough
negotiating skills, but her rates are very high – she was asking for 8% of
your regular player compensation and 15 % of any marketing deals that she
negotiates on your behalf. You also got the impression that McGuire wanted
to push you toward the higher-paying teams in Asia. While money is
certainly a consideration, it’s also important to you to live in a place where
you feel comfortable, such as South America or West Africa, and to play
for a team that will allow you to live up to your full potential. You had
told McGuire that you weren’t interested because you planned to re- sign
with Kofi, but she told you that her offer would remain open in case you
changed your mind. Unfortunately, the press has made it sound as though
you approached McGuire, which no doubt has upset Kofi. You haven’t yet
told him that McGuire actually approached you, because your last meeting
with Kofi ended in a fairly bitter argument.
Last week, a young Brazilian agent named Eduardo Guilherme contacted you
about the possibility of representing you in the upcoming negotiations. He is
quite inexperienced (he’s only been in practice for a year, and currently
represents a couple of mediocre local players), so you didn’t take him
seriously. He did, however, offer you a remarkable deal: a flat rate of
$200,000 per year. No doubt he’s willing to take such a low rate because
of the prestige associated with representing a high-profile player such as
you. You wouldn’t think of hiring such an inexperienced agent, even if he
were free, but if nothing else, you might be able to use his offer as
bargaining leverage with Mwenchena. You have considered pursuing discussions
with McGuire, but you ultimately would like to keep Kofi as your agent.
You value your relationship with Kofi and respect him greatly. He has
numerous contacts in the international football industry, and you feel like
he will represent your interests better than any other agent will. He has
had many unofficial discussions with teams on your behalf over the past
year, and has illustrated a concern for your desire to stay in the South
American League, despite the lower salaries.
At the same time, you don’t want him to take advantage of you at this
crucial point in your career. Though you make a very good living, it’s
important to you to retain as much of your earnings as possible for two
reasons: first, your younger brother has a congenital heart condition that
requires nearly full-time medical care, and you have assumed responsibility
for his astronomical medical bills; and second, because after your retirement
you’d like to donate some of your earnings to a worthy cause back in Ghana
– perhaps building a new football training camp for girls, or establishing a
sports therapy clinic, or something like that. Not only does Kofi’s request
for a raise seem unjustified, but it also would reduce the money you have
available for family and for charitable causes. If you can’t work out
something with Kofi, you would reluctantly go with McGuire.
The free agent market opens next week, and there are a number of quality
strikers on the football market. You need to contact your agent as soon as
possible and definitely before the League opens its signing period. Prepare
for your e-mail negotiation with Kofi.
Instrucciones confidenciales para Ama Ata Fie
Por un lado, está agradecido a Kofi por su apoyo y asistencia durante los
últimos seis años. Por otro lado, no obtienes el mismo sentimiento de
gratitud de él: de muchas maneras, has hecho su carrera. Ha alcanzado el
éxito principalmente por su desempeño en el campo de fútbol. Antes de su
éxito en la Copa del Mundo de 2027, Kofi era un agente desconocido sin
experiencia en el fútbol internacional. Ahora, él es muy conocido y respetado
por su éxito. Sabes que Kofi ha conseguido recientemente contratos con dos
nuevos jugadores de fútbol y dudas de que eso hubiera sucedido si Kofi no
fuera conocido por representarte. Le hubiera gustado renovar el contrato de
Kofi en los mismos términos que antes, pero para su sorpresa, ahora está
pidiendo una tarifa más alta. Su insistencia en un contrato nuevo y más
costoso te ha ofendido y ha causado mucha tensión en tu relación. Se siente
como si estuviera tratando de mantenerte como rehén antes de las
negociaciones contractuales más importantes de tu carrera. Había asumido
que usted y Kofi podrían renegociar su contrato de agente-jugador sin mucha
dificultad, por lo que no ha hecho ningún esfuerzo por investigar a otros
agentes. En retrospectiva, esto puede haber sido un error, pero simplemente
no ha tenido tiempo. Sin embargo, hace unos dos meses, la conocida agente
estadounidense Lesley McGuire se acercó a usted con una oferta. McGuire
representa a varios jugadores de fútbol de prestigio y es conocida por sus
duras habilidades de negociación, pero sus tasas son muy altas: estaba
pidiendo el 8% de su compensación de jugador habitual y el 15% de cualquier
acuerdo de marketing que ella
Hay varios puntos clave que deberíamos abordar en el futuro con respecto a
mi compensación, que incluyen:
Como siempre, seguiré priorizándote como cliente. Nos conocemos desde hace
mucho tiempo, y es gracias a nuestro trabajo conjunto que ambos hemos
podido tener éxito en el mundo del deporte. Sé que, con la agencia libre
acercándose, es importante para los dos finalizar un acuerdo. A continuación
enumero algunos términos que, dados los estándares de la industria, creo que
son justos y aceptables. Dado el tiempo que nos conocemos, por supuesto
que también quiero conocer sus pensamientos sobre estos términos.
Espero escuchar sus opiniones sobre estos términos. ¡Estoy seguro de que
podremos llegar a un acuerdo juntos!
Lo mejor de mí,
Kofi Mwenchena,
The idea is to reach an agreement that is positive for both of us, my expectations are to
continue succeeding and develop my full potential as much as I can, having an agent on
my side who can help in this process. As you well said, we have known each other for a
long time, I respect you and value our relationship a lot.
This is why I do not agree with the terms you want to apply when signing a contract with
me, because there is not even justification for raising the payment you want so much and I
really feel that you are taking advantage of the situation, knowing that you have grown as
an agent greatly part also thanks to me.
Then I will tell you my terms:
Escuchar que está negociando con otro agente fue doloroso, dada nuestra
relación y experiencia previa trabajando juntos. Aparte de eso, realmente
creo que merezco una tarifa más alta. La mayoría de los agentes deportivos
de alto nivel reciben entre el 10% y el 12% del salario de sus jugadores. Por
lo general, también reciben una parte significativa de los dólares de publicidad
y marketing porque los agentes son parte integral en la negociación de esos
acuerdos. aHabiendo dicho todo eso, estaría dispuesto a disminuir mi pedido
en los porcentajes porque quiero seguir trabajando con usted. Hágame saber
su opinión sobre los siguientes números:
El 9% está por debajo del rango de los mejores agentes deportivos (que es
10-12). Estaría dispuesto a ir por debajo de ese rango por lo mucho que
valoro trabajar contigo y porque, como mencionaste, tú también has sido
una gran parte de mi crecimiento como agente. Dado que seré una parte
importante en la búsqueda de ofertas de publicidad y marketing en el
futuro, siento que es justo para mí recibir una parte justa de esas ofertas.
Lo mejor de mí,
Kofi
You really know how the media is, of course I spoke with Agent McGuire to tell him that I
was not interested because i wanted to continue working with you, however the offer
remains open in case that i change my mind. Regarding a higher percentage, of course you
deserve it for the good work that you make, but you are increasing more than double, and
that is where I feel that you are taking advantage of the situation. You know that I have to
assume the medical expenses of my younger brother that is not economical at all, in
addition to saving for future donations. If we keep renewing the contract, every time you
are going to ask for more than double, and despite the fact that you deserve a good
salary, as I said before, a large part of your reputation is thanks to me, so the percentage
that you are asking for is not yet justified yet. Then, I propose you another offer, because i
can't believe yet that you want to ask for 20% of advertising promotions, is too much.
Your compensation for the salary I earn from my new team: 5%
Your compensation for the money I earn from promotions and advertising promotions: 4%
The duration of our new contract: 6 years
Look very well that unlike the previous contract I am raising your salary payment, in
addition to giving you a percentage for advertising promotions that was never in the
contract. And also, you're going to stay as an agent for another six years. Keep in mind
that I also want to continue working with you, but it is not a reason to raise your salary so
much to what you ask.
¡A hug!