The former forward of Dynamo and the Ukrainian national team, Roman Zozulya, openly talked about the creation of an agency company together with Yevhen Konoplyanka and the difficulties associated with this activity.
Roman Zozulya. Photo — polissyafc.com— Roman, as far as I know, you have founded an agency company together with Yevhen Konoplyanka, can you tell us more about it?
— Yes, that’s true. We, as footballers who relatively recently finished our careers and have dealt with various agents, saw what gaps exist and who has them, especially in Ukraine. We observed the strategies agents work with, their vision of the process, so we decided with Zhenya to change a few things, adding what we lacked from our agents during our football careers.
— So, can we say that you have an agency company “with a human face”?
— Yes, absolutely. You can ask the footballers we work with, we have not taken a single extra penny from anyone.
I and Zhenya have been burnt by agents many times; we know very well how they can sweet-talk parents. We strive to break this system and offer competition in the market.
Our agency is already starting to scare competitors, so I believe we are on the right track. In just two months of work, we have 40 footballers; during one transfer window, we secured over 15 transfers, some agents cannot boast such results even after 5 years of work. For me, these are phenomenal figures for a start, especially since I analyzed how other agencies operate and their indicators; some have been working for 10 years, and during the first five, they did not show such results, having only two footballers. Others have been working for 15 years and still do not even have 40 footballers.
— Does your company already have a name?
— Yes, it’s called “Talented Birds.” “Талановиті Пташки,” in Ukrainian. Zozulya is a bird, Konoplyanka is also one, that’s why.
— As far as I know, you mostly take care of former players of Dnipro and Dnipro-1, is that accurate?
— Not really; we do not only have Dnipro footballers, we communicate with many. But it’s very difficult to enter this market due to monopoly. I will tell you this: the corruption here is on a larger scale than in the Verkhovna Rada, I didn’t even expect such because I wasn’t very interested in this sphere when I was a footballer. I have no hair on my head, but if I did, it would definitely stand up from what is happening here.
— Can you name the most famous clients of your company?
— You see, we just entered this market recently, so we are currently only communicating with some players because many already have their agents with whom they signed contracts for two years, for example. If we were to rely on Transfermarkt, then probably Vladyslav Kocherhin, because he is worth 1.5 million euros.
But until we overcome corruption, it will be very difficult. For instance, there are teams where players want to work with us but simply cannot due to club policy. Due to the lack of healthy competition in the agent market, some teams do not achieve the desired results because they are forced to take players from “their” agent instead of getting someone better from another.
Then they start firing coaches, blaming them, but the problem actually lies elsewhere.
— Earlier you were involved in a children’s football academy; agency activity is a new field for you. What are your impressions of starting in this new niche?
— I really love helping people, and this is also a kind of help, so I enjoy it; moreover, we communicate a lot with young guys, and it gives us a chance to share our experience, I really like it.
I communicate with players’ parents; after receiving a contract, they usually call and ask what the catch is, because we, unlike others, do not have clauses regarding various penalties, percentages, and so on. And we have no hidden agendas there; if it were possible to work without contracts, we would work without them, but that’s not how it functions. If I communicate with a guy without a contract, and tomorrow someone comes and offers his mother, say, 10 thousand dollars, for example, she will say she no longer needs our help. You have to protect yourself, because you work hard, and then all clients get stolen, and that’s it.
— You mentioned that in some clubs players cannot have other agents; were you referring to clubs from the so-called “Vadym Shabliy pool”?
— I won’t name names, but the press already knows all of this. It’s not just a few clubs; there are really many: in one, one agent brings players, in another - only another, it applies not only to those you named. This is abnormal; it shouldn’t be like this. I believe that over time, everything will be restructured and change for the better.
— So, you entered this market to break the system?
— Yes. Wherever I go, I want to break the system. Here in Ukraine, anywhere you look, it’s the same as here. There are systems everywhere. If you want to become the president of the Football Federation, you also have to enter and break the system. Going with the flow, nothing can be changed; if there are any changes, they will only be cosmetic, the whole vertical will remain as it is. Moreover, if you change just one person, it won’t bring any benefit because he will think he is improving and changing something, while corruption and abuse of power continue below. If a car has problems with the engine, and instead of repairing it, you paint it and put on new wheels, it won’t drive better because of that.
— Regarding the national team, is it true that you won’t be called if you don’t have the right agent? What do you know about this?
— I think this is more of a myth that agents simply use to their advantage. They then call parents and say: “If you want your son to play for the youth or U21 team, you need to sign a contract with me,” and parents believe this.
Some agents find out in advance who will be called to the national team even before the lists are published, and they also take advantage of this. Personally, for me, this is nonsense; if a footballer is really good, he should play regardless of who his agent is.
— Is this a new scheme of our time or a continuation, so to speak, of the previous corrupt traditions?
— This used to not happen at all! No one personally approached me and said: “You won’t play if you don’t sign a contract with someone,” and now this is prevalent in every club.
Moreover, Ihor Mykhailovych Surkis even told us: “You don’t need agents; I will help you myself if you are not satisfied,” and so on.
Today, in youth teams, they simply say: “You won’t get playing time until you sign a contract with an agent,” that’s when they [unscrupulous agents] come in numbers and wait for someone to break through. This is said directly by coaches, directors, so the player simply has no one to complain to. One of my guys didn’t sign such a contract; he had to just run around and carry cones for six months, he wasn’t allowed to train. How can a young guy withstand such mental pressure for half a year?
— How did the situation resolve for him?
— We found him a team a long time ago. I spoke with him and his mother every day back then, calming them down. Now he plays regularly; he even receives a higher salary; he likes everything. And I want to work with him because he has character. Far from everyone could withstand such a half-year, especially since he was a main player, preparing for the first team.
He called me himself last winter when we weren’t even working yet, only analyzing the market; he asked to join us. I talked to the coaches, watched his games, and the guy is indeed a quality player. We found him three options; he chose the one he liked most.
Ihor Lysenko
