A group who claim that technical problems with Fifa’s online football agent exam prevented them from completing the test are to take their cases to the court of arbitration for sport (Cas).
As revealed in the Guardian last month, several prospective agents complained that there were various issues with the platform being used for Fifa’s new global exam that took place for the first time on 18 June, including candidates being left with insufficient time to answer the questions or later finding out that multiple answers had not been recorded. Some were allowed to resit the exam on 30 June but many were informed they will now have to wait until next year and had no right to appeal.
However, in a letter that has been seen by the Guardian that was sent to Fifa’s general secretariat last month, the group of more than 40 candidates who were affected asked for a review “based on fundamental and obvious errors in the application of Fifa regulations” that they estimate could have had an impact on “thousands worldwide”.
“Across borders and examination centres, candidates encountered severe technical and procedural irregularities that compromised the fairness, transparency, and validity of the exam,” the letter read, listing several examples including “incorrect or misleading questions” and “multiple correct answers marked as wrong.
“The list of technical issues is extensive, and in many cases, nearly never-ending,” the letter added. “These conditions made it impossible for many candidates to complete the exam under fair or standardised conditions. We are appealing directly to Fifa, believing in its responsibility and commitment to justice. We are not an institution. We are students and professionals, volunteering our time in search of fairness. Please do not reject our appeal automatically.”
In response, Fifa insisted it “diligently checked every substantiated complaint regarding technical impediments in the context of the exam” but said it could not respond further to their letter and said the issue had “already been resolved”. As such, the group is now planning to take their case to Cas, where they will request an opportunity to retake the exam before the scheduled date next year.
Fifa has yet to comment publicly on the claims but is understood to have been reassured by providers that there was no issue with the exam platform. World football’s governing body is believed to be satisfied that the majority of the candidates were able to take the exam with no technical problems.
