Gareth Southgate’s former agent wins payout from FA over players’ contract
Terry Byrne settles after dispute over England dealSouthgate has since dropped agent over unpaid debts
The Football Association has agreed to pay Gareth Southgate’s former agent, Terry Byrne, several hundred thousand pounds in compensation to settle a long-running legal dispute. Byrne sued the FA for about £3m in December at a time when he was still representing Southgate, but the Guardian has learned the matter was resolved before the end of this season after several private arbitration hearings.
Byrne was suing for damages with a claim that the FA breached its contract with one of his companies, 1966 Entertainment, by terminating a deal to manage England players’ commercial appearances while on international duty that was due to run until 2030. The dispute has rumbled on since 2018, when the FA sought an early termination from the 12-year deal given to Byrne, who previously represented A-list stars including Pelé and David Beckham before becoming Southgate’s agent when he was England Under-21 manager.
