Case note: McGill v. The Sports and Entertainment Media Group and Others

A footballer and an agent enter an unwritten exclusive agency agreement. The agent sets up a transfer for the player. However, a different agency takes over as the player’s agent prior to completion. This was the basic factual background before the Court of Appeal in McGill[1]. The court had to deal with various interesting legal issues arising from this litigation, and its judgment merits careful consideration.

This article will deal primarily with the Court of Appeal’s decision on the agent’s claim that he lost a chance to complete the player’s transfer. It will also briefly touch on the findings in relation to the agent’s earlier settlement with the player and how this affected his subsequent litigation against the other agency (the Jameson / Heaton[2] issue).