Aidy Ward, the agent who was responsible for facilitating Raheem Sterling’s move from Liverpool to Manchester City in 2015, has been suspended from football with immediate effect. Ward’s involvement in the transfer saw him become a familiar name to Liverpool supporters, as he drove a wedge between Sterling and the club. Despite Steven Gerrard’s criticism of Sterling for the “carry-on” involved in pushing for the exit, Ward later gave an interview to the Mail in which he blamed Liverpool’s PR initiative that saw him “become the bad guy,” before insisting he had “no issue with anyone but Rodgers.”
Ward’s reputation on Merseyside was further damaged when Jerome Sinclair signed with Ward’s Colossal Sports Management agency before his move away from Anfield in 2016. Now, the FA have confirmed that Ward and Colossal Sports Management have been suspended from “all intermediary activity” until December 5, 2024. This near-20-month ban relates to their attempt to begin representation of a minor, which is prohibited before January 1 in the year in which they turn 16. An FA statement reads: “It was alleged that Adrian Ward had directly or indirectly made an approach to a minor on behalf of Colossal Sports Management Ltd at various points between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.” Ward and Colossal Sports Management were initially charged in March 2022, with both parties now lodging appeals against the decision.
Sterling ended his association with Ward in January 2021 and is now self-represented. Sinclair, who joined Watford after turning down Liverpool’s contract offer in 2016, has been without a club for almost two years after a loan spell with CSKA Sofia ended in 2021. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains the most high-profile client on Colossal Sports Management’s roster, with the suspension coming at a time in which he will be seeking a new club.