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Adamawa APM gov candidate picks ex-NNPCL manager as running mate • Ethiopia Faces Sharp Shift in Weather Risks As El Niño Persists, Emi Warns of Flash Flooding • AU Demands Red Sea De-Escalation, Warning Houthi Strikes Threaten Littoral Economies, Global Trade • The Proxy War That Failed - Eritrea's Illusion of Weakening Ethiopia • A Decade of Deals Is Reshaping the UAE-Ethiopia Economic Relationship • Igwesi, ex-lawmaker, emerges Enugu coordinator of Renewed Hope Ambassadors • What NAICOM did to prevent insurers from facing liquidation • Excitement as homebuyers collect keys at Mixta Africa’s Ibudo Wura estate • Access Bank clears $500m Eurobond as five-year debt matures • Xiaomi bets on 10,000mAh battery as Redmi Note 17 launches September 30 • The last two seasons were grim for Spurs. This is as bad as it’s ever been | Jonathan Wilson • Bitcoin jumps 5% in market rebound, nears $86,000 • ADC demands investigation into political violence ahead of 2027 elections • بعد نجاحه الاستثنائي في بريطانيا وترجمته لـ12 لغة.. زينب البدوي تطلق النسخة الفرنسية من كتابها المرجعي «تاريخ أفريقي لأفريقيا» • Early bets for Week 3: Three games to target right away • Sh30.3 bilioni zinavyotatua kero barabara ya Kitunda • Mradi wa LNG wa Sh106 trilioni wafikia hatua ya mwisho • Stakeholders seek responsible journalism, inclusion to curb conflict in Sokoto • USA Delists Ethiopia From Arms Embargo, Reversing 2021 Tigray War Time Ban • Paper trail of protests: José Mourinho plays the hits in Madrid derby defeat | Sid Lowe • Adamawa APM gov candidate picks ex-NNPCL manager as running mate • Ethiopia Faces Sharp Shift in Weather Risks As El Niño Persists, Emi Warns of Flash Flooding • AU Demands Red Sea De-Escalation, Warning Houthi Strikes Threaten Littoral Economies, Global Trade • The Proxy War That Failed - Eritrea's Illusion of Weakening Ethiopia • A Decade of Deals Is Reshaping the UAE-Ethiopia Economic Relationship • Igwesi, ex-lawmaker, emerges Enugu coordinator of Renewed Hope Ambassadors • What NAICOM did to prevent insurers from facing liquidation • Excitement as homebuyers collect keys at Mixta Africa’s Ibudo Wura estate • Access Bank clears $500m Eurobond as five-year debt matures • Xiaomi bets on 10,000mAh battery as Redmi Note 17 launches September 30 • The last two seasons were grim for Spurs. This is as bad as it’s ever been | Jonathan Wilson • Bitcoin jumps 5% in market rebound, nears $86,000 • ADC demands investigation into political violence ahead of 2027 elections • بعد نجاحه الاستثنائي في بريطانيا وترجمته لـ12 لغة.. زينب البدوي تطلق النسخة الفرنسية من كتابها المرجعي «تاريخ أفريقي لأفريقيا» • Early bets for Week 3: Three games to target right away • Sh30.3 bilioni zinavyotatua kero barabara ya Kitunda • Mradi wa LNG wa Sh106 trilioni wafikia hatua ya mwisho • Stakeholders seek responsible journalism, inclusion to curb conflict in Sokoto • USA Delists Ethiopia From Arms Embargo, Reversing 2021 Tigray War Time Ban • Paper trail of protests: José Mourinho plays the hits in Madrid derby defeat | Sid Lowe

September 21, 2026|15:51

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Football

To minimise the risks to young football players we should ban agents recruiting under-18s | Letter

The Guardian Football 32 minutes 1 mins read

Phil Murray responds to articles about the precarious path talented young athletes face

Jonathan Liew’s piece (Raheem Sterling’s bleak tale a reminder of absurd path young footballers face, 17 September) is informative and timely, particularly when set against Jacob Steinberg’s report (‘They are very similar’: Arsenal’s Dowman reminds Merino of Lamine Yamal, 16 September) .

The tiny proportion of young footballers originally “signed” by top flight clubs at a ludicrously young age, who then achieve their dreams of a Premier League career, rather than being summarily dismissed at the age of 16 or 17 with the vast majority of their contemporaries, should be a reality check for parents/guardians of all aspiring young athletes.

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