Chairman David Sheepshanks is backing Football League chief Lord Mawhinney's call for greater controls on agents. The League's third Agents' Fees Report shows that Town paid agents £155,000 in the six months between January and June 2005.

Sheepshanks said: "Now that the Football League has taken a lead in transparency by publishing amounts paid to agents every six months, this subject will now have prominence at least twice a year.

"During last year we committed to pay agents a total of £155,000 and it is important that supporters understand that this amount relates to contracts negotiated for their duration and that this is not a recurring annual amount.

"Next January, or indeed July, any future reported amounts will relate only to new arrivals or new contract negotiations.

"At Ipswich Town Football Club we are satisfied that the amount we have paid is proportionate to the deals done; we are 16th in the Championship table as regards fees paid.

"The much bigger and recurring subject of the regulation of agents (or lack of regulation) is something that concerns me greatly.

"Many agents perform an important function for their clients but there are unacceptable extremes and exceptions that occur too frequently and which make one shudder.

"The fact that this country is one of the last in Europe not to have a proper protocol and regulation for the performance and payment of agents is embarrassing.

"The FA, the FA Premier League and the Football League are now working together to produce a combined code, but until now the Football League's lead on transparency is the only example of action taken."

Earlier Lord Mawhinney said: "Football League clubs have taken an important lead in committing themselves to transparency in this area. Once again, I commend them for doing so.

"Too much money is leaving football through payments to agents and League clubs have made it clear to me that they want a stronger regulatory framework governing how agents operate.

"The introduction of this much-needed framework is currently being hindered by a lack of consensus on the issue across English football as a whole.

"Should this continue then I'm sure that League clubs will not hesitate to take the lead, once again, by introducing regulations of their own. Regulations that will help them keep some of this much-needed money in the game."

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