Why did the FCI draft a regulation on agents in the last Federal Council? Among the questions raised by theinterview with Bandolin and Vietri, this was the one that was talked about the least. It still needs to be ratified by CONI, they told us, and they couldn't do more. We had almost come to terms with it, waiting to receive official updates, when by a strange coincidence and certainly because I was intrigued by the topic, Nicolò Martinello has come forward.
We hadn't heard from him since he stopped running and started working at Decathlon. But that was 12 years ago. time has passed and his skills and qualifications have made him a privileged interlocutor. Also to understand why the FCI suddenly dedicated itself to riders' agents.
"After Decathlon, I moved into human resources," the Paduan explains. "I worked at Nestlé in Milan. Then I worked with Amazon in Rome and then in Luxembourg, and a few months ago I returned to Italy. I am now working as an advisor and am planning to move back to Rome., where I often find myself for work anyway."
Has your professional experience also brought you into the world of agents?
For a few months now I have the UCI qualification, that of World Athletics and recently also the FIGC and CONI ones (opening of a qualifying exam for the Italian Football Federation in the CONI Hall of Honor, FIGC image). If you're interested, since you've been following the topic lately, I'd like to contribute, because in my opinion There's a huge elephant in the room in cycling..
There's clearly interest because the market in recent years has been reshaping the geography of Italian cycling.
There is definitely a theme of market concentration and conflict of interestThe profession of sports agent in Italy is a professional profession (it requires registration in a professional register, ed.), as established by Legislative Decree 37 of 2021. Following this, a new law was issued un CONI regulation, which outlines the scope of the legislation, including all the Italian Federations that recognise professional sportsSo, football, basketball, golf, and of course cycling. Well, on this issue, the FCI is the only one that doesn't apply the rule.
What does the law provide?
The Law provides that To operate as a sports agent in Italy, you must follow a very strict licensing process. This includes a written and oral exam at CONI: a general exam in private law, administrative law, and sports law. Those who pass it can qualify for one of the four Federations that provide for professionalism, to then operate as a sports agent. Be careful with the terms: using the term "sports agent" isn't a lexical refinement; there's a substantial difference. If someone hasn't passed these tests and isn't certified by the relevant Federation, operating as a sports agent commits an abuse of profession, which is punishable from Article 348 of the Criminal Code.
How does qualification with a Federation take place?
The Italian Football Federation, the Italian Golf Federation and the Italian Basketball Federation announce every year two special test calls (Article 5. The Prime Ministerial Decree is from 2020: the model that includes a general test plus a special test at the Federations had already been defined and was then included in the 2021 Decree, ed.). Candidates who can register are those who have passed the two CONI tests. Only in this way can they obtain certification. The only Federation in Italy that currently ignores this regulatory system, which together with the French one It is one of the most advanced in Europe, it is the FCIIn cycling, this qualification is completely ignored. So I find it interesting that the two people interviewed on Sunday, prominent figures in the FCI, are alarmed that there are observers and agents operating without qualifications.
Why?
Because there would be all the tools to stop them, but it is not possible to move because the FCI has not yet made a regulationAnd I emphasize that this is not a measure written by the sports regulatory body, but a Legislative Decree. It is a State Law. By not accepting it, self-styled talent scouts and observers are given the opportunity to operate freely.If it were the world of football, the first instance would be before the FIGC Sports Agents Commission, which also decides on disputes and complaints. And then the second instance would be before the CONI Agents Commission.
So could measures be taken in this case?
There would be clear sanctions, a well-defined perimeter, a regulated market where only authorized entities would operate. If there was an abusive individual, a complaint would arrive immediately and the investigation phase would begin.It happens often in football. Agents file complaints because they see fixers and unauthorized people around. That's why I say that in my opinion There's a big elephant in the room and the FCI knows it.
How do you say that?
For what my path has been. In October 2024 I took the CONI exam, written and oralI was interested in working in football, but I also had my eye on cycling, waiting for them to publish the call for qualificationThey didn't publish anything in the second half of 2024, but I had a lot to do and waited until spring 2025. But still, there was no sign of anything. So I searched the FCI website and found nothing. Therefore I took the liberty of writing to the RUP, the Sole Responsible for the Procedure of the CONI Commission, which is a public body and therefore has the obligation to respond to requests.
What did you write?
I wrote that I would like to qualify to work in professional cycling and wanted to know how to do it. They replied to me on May 28thThey wrote: «Following discussions with the Italian Cycling Federation, to whom this letter is sent with the knowledge of, it is confirmed that the aforementioned Federation has activated the procedures necessary for the adoption of the FCI Federal Sports Agents Regulation».
So could the decision taken by the FCI Federal Council mentioned in Sunday's article be the response to that request?
That's probably true, but I don't know what they decided. The law does not prohibit a coffee on the bus or limit the access of officers to certain areasSystemic interventions need to be made and the good thing is that the entire legal system already exists and it is one of the most advanced in the worldWhat prevented the FCI from doing this before?
Let's try to understand: if you're not authorized by the FCI, can't you work with athletes in Italy?
Exactly. The only person in Italy who can mediate, work towards the creation, modification, or termination of a contract that has as its object a professional sports performance is a sports agent registered in the CONI registerThis is what the CONI regulation says and just on Monday evening in Official Gazette A decree for sports agents (DL 218 of 2025) signed by Minister Abodi has been released which adds another piece, further raising the level of professionalism of this regulatory system.
Can being a UCI agent allow you to bypass the Italian regulation?
I also have a UCI certification, and it's definitely a global certification. However, individual countries have the option to set more stringent rules. For example, in France, they won't allow you to register for the UCI exam unless you've first obtained certification from your National Olympic Committee. There is a difference between sports law and ordinary law. The UCI, like the international sports federations, is not a public body and therefore cannot issue regulations that override national ones, as the European Community can do when it enacts a law. There has been a huge debate on this topic in football.
Why?
Given the difficulty of the authorization process in Italy, some agents have taken the FIFA exam, but to work in Italy they had to reside at the office of a person registered in the CONI and FIGC registersIn other words, you can be a FIFA agent, but if you're not domiciled in Italy, you can't follow a player's move from Roma to Milan. You couldn't even go and get a young man, due to the restrictions imposed specifically on the subject of young athletes.
This is an interesting topic that we'll return to shortly, but first there's a question: what happens if the brokerage firm isn't based in Italy?
He must go to home. Let's take the example of Mino Raiola, who sadly passed away. His agency still has many athletes and its registered office is in Cyprus. So first Mino and now whoever runs the agency has the Cypriot license, but to work in Italy he took up residence at a lawyer which in turn has CONI and FIGC accreditation.
Should it work the same way in cycling?
Exactly, but the FCI has a broken path, because they don't take the qualifying test. It would also be interesting to know what the Minister of Sport thinks about it., since we are talking about a sports federation of primary importance.
So with the UCI license you can work, but when the FCI organizes the exams, would you have to comply with Italian regulations?
In theory yes, but It is difficult to give a univocal answer, it is clear that there is a regulatory gap. Even in the UCI provisions, it is clearly stated that if the work of an agent is subject to specific national regulation, Before applying for international qualification, you will have to fulfill all the requirements at the national levelCONI's national regulations already exist in Italy, but the final piece is missing from the FCI. In short, it's a huge issue.
Who would be affected if there was a dispute?
Since there is no FCI regulation yet, we take inspiration from the CONI regulation for which the company and the member are obliged to use only those subjects who are registered in this register and they must also verify it. The agent must demonstrate that this register exists and must also show his insurance policy. All parties involved should make sure you are dealing with a qualified entity.
How many Italian cycling agents have passed the CONI exam?
I know that Marco Piccioli works in cycling: he is not a UCI agent, I assume he works together with a lawyer (lawyer Mari, as declared by Massimiliano Mori in one of our interviews, ed.). Piccioli is registered in the CONI Register and therefore, If the FCI were to issue a notice for the exam, he would be able to access it (Similarly, we understand that Matteo Roggi, who works in cycling and is a FIGC agent, could be among the possible candidates for FCI qualification, ed.).
Searching on the CONI website, your name doesn't even appear.
Correct. You don't see my name yet because I recently passed the FIGC exam and I sent the request for registration in the FIGC-CONI Register on Monday and it is in the approval phaseSo I would be in the same situation as Piccioli, plus I have the UCI exam. So, in short, we can say that, among those who work in cycling, there would be two or three agents who could immediately register for an FCI exam.
So do you currently have the agent card issued by the FCI after you passed the Aigle course?
I passed the UCI exam in July and I'm still waiting for the FCI cardWhile waiting for them to comply with national regulations, I requested the membership card as per international regulations. Since it hadn't arrived, I sent a certified email asking for it, including a copy of the UCI. Having received no further notification, Last week I wrote to the UCI and appealed to one of their regulations.
What does he say?
That in the event of failure to respond from one of the National Federations, in this case the FCI, After 30 days I can apply for the card directly in Aigle. I don't want to go to the athletes and have them sign a mandate that's missing a piece. I want to work knowing that I'm perfectly in line with regulatory requirements, both national and international.
You mentioned legislation on young people, who are currently the most lively area of conquest.
In football there is a very clear regulationHe says that when you get the mandate from an athlete who is not yet a professional, If he does not become a professional within eight months, the mandate ends. So as an agent you have a responsibility to do your best to make this athlete become a professional. And then there's another regulation on conflict of interest, even if potential.
Can you give an example?
For example, it's not good to have two players in the same role and on the same team if this creates a situation of influence that is even potentially conflicting with the club. And speaking of conflicts of interest, I read in your interview on Sunday that an agent holds an important position in the track sectorHow is this possible?
It should be explored further…
It's a huge conflict of interest, even if you work with a lawyer. If you have a consultancy role, an assignment or a simple partnership with the FCI, you cannot be an agentI could never do something like that in the FIGC. Anyone could file a complaint against me after two days and they would kick me out of the agent registerWhat's really shocking is that two federal officials candidly declare this in an interview, in which three paragraphs earlier they had mentioned agents.
Would the high concentration of athletes in the same hands also be a problem?
Absolutely. If I have 30 juniors in my team who progress to the U23 class, I'm the one who decides who gets pole position and who gets third row. So I am no longer an agent, but I become the one who referees the match and this is unacceptable. also for the CONI regulation.
But since there is no FCI regulation, there are no problems for the agents…
In fact at the moment the problem is the FCI's, why so many people were allowed to work without a license and why there is a five-year delaySo it doesn't make much sense to ban buses; I actually agree with the idea of bringing our regulations to the UCI. We would truly be a global example.
How do you regulate yourself in other sports?
In World Athletics, If you want to sign the mandate with a minor, first of all you must have taken specific courses. In fact there is a theme of safeguarding which they are trying to follow with great scruple. That said, There are specific timeframes for approaching the athlete's entourage, but not before six months from the date on which he will be able to start workingSo you need to know how this age varies from country to country. But above all, when you draft that mandate, you then have to send it to World Athletics in Monaco, where they scan it with a magnifying glass.
Why?
In order to verify that there are no practices that are harassing or disadvantageous for the athlete. There are virtuous examples to imitate. Cycling is increasingly seeking younger athletes, and I'm not against it a priori, as long as it's managed with clear rules and the agent is held accountable.
In what way?
If you chop wood and take them all, More than developing their careers, it seems like you want to block them before someone else takes them.But what responsibility do you have as an agent? The relationship is truly unbalanced; it's all on the rider's shoulders. And if you can't find him a team, you tell him you haven't found anything and you still have 30 more to sort out.
However, there are no rules that prevent this, right?
The UCI has a fairly loose regulation, however In Italy, the legislator sticks his nose in very frequently and in detailIt is clear that these rules were created primarily for football, but in any case We have the law on professional sports and therefore it applies to everyoneI cannot say whether this evidence will raise an issue in FCI and raise questions of commercial law, but certainly it must be said that something is not workingEven by putting your face to it.
Not considering those who operate without any qualification, Italian agents (resident in Italy) with UCI license 16 sleep, others are scattered between Switzerland, Spain and the Principality of Monaco, based on their residence. It will be interesting to find out which ones will be the obligations that will have to be fulfilled when and if the FCI has adopted a regulation in line with Italian lawThose residing abroad will likely be able to simply register in Italy with a CONI and FCI-certified agent. Will those residing in Italy have to take the CONI exam (written and oral)?
