COLE'S AGENT BANNED

The Guardian reports on the FA's punishment to Ashley Cole's agent and the implications this could have for Red Ish fav Pini Zahavi.

The unprecedented punishment of Ashley Cole's agent, Jonathan Barnett, by the Football Association yesterday for being what it described as a "prime mover" in the left-back's secret meeting with Chelsea does not signal the end of a controversy that has rumbled for 20 months. The FA will urge Fifa and the Israeli Football Association to take action against Pini Zahavi, the super-agent who was also part of the gathering at a London hotel.

Now the FA has fined Barnett £100,000 and banned him from practising as an agent for 18 months, with nine of those months suspended, Zahavi is the only member of the cast at the rendezvous not to have been called to account. The FA cannot take action against Zahavi because he is registered as an agent in Israel but Fifa and Zahavi's own national association have the power to examine his behaviour.

Fifa last night said it would look into the matter if asked to by the FA, as Barnett confirmed he would appeal against the penalty, which his solicitor, Graham Shear, described as "excessive and disproportionate". The FA believes its punishment shows a determination to crack down on wrongdoing by agents and hopes Zahavi's role in the affair will be scrutinised. It will write to Fifa and the Israeli FA.

Zahavi declined last year to give a statement to the Premier League disciplinary commission which examined Cole's meeting with Chelsea and fined the player, Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho and the Stamford Bridge club. However, the commission concluded the meeting was initiated by Zahavi and Barnett. It deduced that Zahavi told Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, that Cole wanted to meet Chelsea on the basis that he was going to leave Arsenal. Zahavi and Kenyon spoke the day before the meeting.

Zahavi, whose clients include Rio Ferdinand, has made millions of pounds from facilitating deals by acting for the buying or selling club. Chelsea and Manchester United are among teams for whom he has done considerable business.

The Israeli FA has so far declined to investigate Zahavi over the Cole meeting. The feeling in Israel is that its governing body might be wary of taking on Zahavi, who is one of the most powerful figures in the game there.

That leaves the onus on Fifa, which is ready to examine the issue. "Zahavi is a licensed agent and if Fifa were asked to look into the matter by the FA, we would do so," said a spokesman, Andreas Herren.

The punishment given to Barnett makes him the first agent to have his licence suspended by the FA in connection with illegal approaches for players. The suspension, which begins on October 16, prevents him from acting for any of his clients on any matter, and the nine-month suspended portion would be invoked if he breaks any FA law in the next 18 months. Any player or club that deals with Barnett might face FA disciplinary action for using an unlicensed agent.