Investment Fraud in Football reaches epidemic levels.
Barry Parker • 8 December 2021

Fraud and mis-selling in football has reached

“epidemic” levels and caused mass devastation for many retired footballers.


FVU have heard from a number of retired footballers that fraud and mis-selling in football has reached “epidemic” levels and had caused mass devastation amongst former players.


Every investor is at risk of investment fraud, but there are a certain sectors of society where the scale of the problem is particularly acute such as professional sport.


Footballers, in particular,  have an elevated level of risk of being targeted due to the fact that the majority of their time is dedicated to their sport and they often lack financial education. This leaves a heavy reliance on other people to manage the financial aspect of their life. Many turn to regulated financial advisors.


Furthermore, if successful, they may be paid large sums of money in a relatively short period of time. This makes them attractive targets for scammers.


However, that earning potential is time limited, with most footballers’ careers at the highest level lasting no more than 10-15 years. Many players understand the need to plan for the future for when their footballing career is over and therefore are often targeted by rogue advisors.


These factors combine to create a toxic risk and have contributed to a series of scandals and significant financial loss in recent years leaving players in retirement in financial ruins and often without redress.


FVU will be working with numerous high profile players to seek to introduce educational initiatives to protect young players from investment and pension fraud.

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