Latest news with #JonathanBarnett
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Jonathan Barnett was an early kingpin in the world of the super-agents
In the rarefied world of the so-called super-agent, and certainly the super-rich agent, Jonathan Barnett was an early kingpin. The 75-year-old Londoner's love of football and money, his tough negotiating style and his appetite for hard work made him a forerunner to the likes of Jorge Mendes, Pini Zahavi and the late Mino Raiola, who made tens of millions of pounds from transfer deals as the sport was transformed from a rich man's plaything to the preserve of oil-rich nation states and private equity firms over the past two decades. Barnett was quick to spot the growing commercial opportunities in football when he set up Stellar Sports with family friend David Manasseh in 1992, fittingly the year the Premier League was created, a move which kickstarted the football boom. His career has largely been a runaway success ever since, to the extent that Forbes named him the world's top sports agent in 2019, when he negotiated $1.42bn (£1.04bn) in active contracts and transfer fees. The following year Stellar was sold to the American entertainment agency ICM Partners, before it in turn was acquired by the Hollywood giants Creative Artists Agency in a deal worth a reported $750m. Within 12 months CAA had been ranked as the world's most valuable sports agency on Forbes' 2022 list. After the CAA acquisition Barnett stayed to run the football division as executive chair of CAA Stellar before stepping down in February 2024. Barnett faces allegations he 'trafficked' a woman from Australia to the UK in 2017 and kept her as a 'sex slave'. Barnett denies the allegations. CAA said it first learned of the allegations in January 2024. Football made him wealthy but Barnett's initial move away from his family's casino business, the Curzon House Group, was in advising promising heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis to pursue a professional career. Stellar's first clients were the Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis during their controversial 1992 tour of England, but it was West Indian Brian Lara who helped them really make their mark. Barnett and Manasseh helped arrange Lara's move to Warwickshire shortly before he scored a then world-record 375 against England in Antigua in April 1994, and two months later he broke the record for the highest first class score by scoring 501 not out for his new county against Durham. 'We were the best at that [cricket] in a short time, but there was no money,' Barnett said in an interview with ESPN in 2017. Such brashness was typical of Barnett's professional style, although it was allied to a work ethic that delivered his big break and also underpinned Stellar's relentless rise to represent 600 footballers at their peak a decade ago. He was also polite and approachable when on business, ending phone calls with the words 'God bless!' As Stellar was growing other agents reported with a mixture of bewilderment and awe that Barnett was never in his Hyde Park office and appeared to live in his Bentley, driving around the country to watch youth-team fixtures and reserve games in the hope signing the best up-and-coming talent. One day trip to Chesterfield for an England Under-18 game in the mid-1990s was particularly productive, as he returned to London with agreements to represent two future senior England internationals, Ashley Cole and Ledley King. Volume and youth soon became the company's modus operandi, with Barnett once estimating that 95% of Stellar's ever-growing players had signed for them before the age of 18. Unlike other agents Barnett rarely showed any interest in representing managers, instead focusing on securing the best youngsters with increasing success. From the late 1990s onwards almost every England squad contained several of Barnett's players, including players such as Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Kieron Dyer, Darren Bent, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell. Following the American buyouts they have remained dominant, with current England stars Jordan Pickford, Jack Grealish, Ivan Toney and Dean Henderson on the company's books, while Manasseh negotiated Liam Delap's £30m move from Ipswich to Chelsea last month. As the game has globalised CAA Stellar's fleet of Bentleys has been replaced by private jets, with their agents flying all over Europe and more recently to Saudi Arabia to seal transfer deals. The biggest deal of Barnett's career was Gareth Bale's £85.3m transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013, then a world record. The Wales international's move to Tottenham was also brokered by Barnett, who had represented him since he was on a schoolboy contract at Southampton. While Bale won 16 trophies including three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues at Real his time at the Bernabéu ended sourly, not helped by a very public argument between Barnett and the club's manager Zinedine Zidane, who he accused of freezing Bale out. That row was not the first time Barnett attracted controversy in a colourful career. In 2006 he was banned from working as an agent for nine months by the FA for being found guilty of orchestrating a meeting between Cole and the Chelsea manager José Mourinho, when the player was under contract to Arsenal. The fallout damaged Cole's relationship with Arsenal and he subsequently signed for Chelsea anyway. After dabbling with the then-growing Chinese market, holding talks about selling Stellar to the Rastar Group in 2016, Barnett focused on expansion in the US. Repeated attempts to recruit NFL players brought only occasional successes, but repeatedly touring the US ultimately led to the ICM and CAA sales.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Soccer agent Jonathan Barnett accused of rape, torture and trafficking in U.S. lawsuit
Soccer agent Jonathan Barnett has been accused of rape, torture and trafficking in a U.S. lawsuit. The civil complaint was made against Barnett, 75, in a California district court by a woman referred to only as Jane Doe earlier this week. The complaint claims that Barnett raped the woman more than 39 times after she was 'trafficked' from Australia, of which she is a citizen, to the United Kingdom in 2017. Advertisement The lawsuit says the Brit then 'tortured' her over a six-year period until 2023 while keeping her as a 'sex slave'. Barnett's former employer, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), is also named in the lawsuit. The court documents claim Barnett met the woman in the 1990s through a connection with a professional athlete. It is alleged they reconnected in 2017 online and then in person, before 'Barnett lured Ms. Doe into his scheme of sex trafficking and forced labor under the auspices of hiring her to work for his sports agency, CAA Stellar.' A CAA Spokesperson told The Athletic: 'While the complaint attempts to connect these allegations to CAA's business, Ms. Doe has never been an employee, consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any business connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar. Mr. Barnett exited Stellar in February 2024.' The complaint goes on to claim that the woman moved to London that year with her teenage children and that Barnett had covered the expenses, saying that it was part of the employment package, before Barnett allegedly raped her in a hotel room upon her arrival, saying that he 'owned' her and threatened to kill her if she spoke out. The woman says she was forced to obey rules set by Barnett, including referring to him as 'master'. Further details of the alleged abuse include being tied up overnight and denied food and water, repeated physical violence and being made to perform degrading acts. The filing alleges that the woman was 'trafficked, threatened, tortured' and held 'in bondage at numerous places throughout the world, including Los Angeles.' It also says that she was made to 'hunt for additional slaves' after being forced to return to L.A. 'This is a case about institutional abuse at the highest level,' the complaint states. 'This case is about how one of the world's most powerful men in sports openly kept a sex slave for years, with the assistance of his employees, accountants, emissaries, and family members, and used his money and power to maintain coercive control over her and keep her in fear for her life and the lives of her children.' Advertisement Barnett enjoyed a successful career in soccer as one of the highest-profile agents in the sport before retiring last year. He founded the Stellar Group before it was purchased by ICM Partners and later taken over by CAA, and helped broker Gareth Bale's then world-record transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid in 2013. He also represented players such as Jack Grealish, Jordan Pickford and Ashley Cole, while one of Barnett's first clients outside of football was legendary West Indian cricketer Brian Lara. CAA Stellar's current clients in soccer include Premier League players Omar Marmoush, Morgan Gibbs-White, Liam Delap and Kobbie Mainoo, per Transfermarkt. Additional reporting: James Horncastle
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Football super-agent Jonathan Barnett accused of keeping woman as ‘sex slave'
Jonathan Barnett, a leading British sports agent who represented Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, is being sued in American district court over accusations of human trafficking, rape and torture. An unnamed woman filed a lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that Barnett coerced the woman from Australia to the UK in 2017 and kept her as a 'sex slave' for six years, raping her over 39 times. She alleges that he 'trafficked, threatened, tortured and held' her in bondage across different locations around the world, including in Los Angeles, where the lawsuit has been filed. These threats alleged included those 'to her life and the lives of her minor children". The woman, who is referred to in the case as 'Jane Doe', has also sued Barnett's former employers Creative Artists Agency (CAA) - a Hollywood talent agency - which faces allegations that it 'used its employees and emissaries to assist Barnett in keeping' her as his 'sex slave'. Barnett and CAA have denied the allegations. 'The claims made in today's complaint against me have no basis in reality and are untrue,' Barnett said in a statement. 'We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated.' Barnett, 75, retired last year after spending over 40 years as one of the most renowned sports agents, helping orchestrate Bale's world-record £85.3m move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013. As well as Grealish, he also managed the likes of Ivan Toney and Jordan Pickford. He was ranked as the world's most powerful sports agent by Forbes in 2019. According to court documents, Barnett and Jane Doe first met in the 1990s through a professional athlete in London before reconnecting 27 years later, first online via LinkedIn before meeting in person. She was convinced to relocate to the UK from Australia with her teenage children, just weeks after getting back in touch in 2017, with Barnett's sports agency CAA Stellar covering moving expenses. The filing claims that she was raped in a hotel room in their first meeting as Barnett told her he 'owned' her. Barnett allegedly went on to impose strict rules of obedience on her, with the lawsuit saying she was made to refer to him as 'My Master'. The complaint goes on to describe that she would allegedly be 'tied up overnight without food or water' and would be forced to indulge in degrading acts such as drinking urine or ingesting faeces. 'This is a case about institutional abuse at the highest level,' the complaint reads. 'This case is about how one of the world's most powerful men in sports openly kept a sex slave for years, with the assistance of his employees, accountants, emissaries, and family members, and used his money and power to maintain coercive control over her and keep her in fear for her life and the lives of her children.' The lawsuit says that CAA 'knew or should have known' about the abusive behaviour, but the company strongly denies any prior knowledge of the complaints prior to first learning the allegations in January 2024. 'While the complaint attempts to connect these allegations to CAA's business, Ms. Doe has never been an employee, consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any business connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar,' it said in a statement. Barnett was the co-founder of London-based sports agency Stellar Group in 1994 before it was sold to Hollywood agency ICM Partners in 2020. ICM later merged with CAA after being acquired by their larger rival. Jane Doe's lawyers are seeking compensation on her behalf. Barnett and CAA have 20 days to respond to the allegations by filing to the court.
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Gareth Bale's former agent denies ‘raping a sex slave'
Jonathan Barnett, the British agent who represented Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, is facing claims he 'tortured' and raped a 'sex slave' more than 39 times. The powerful football figure 'trafficked' a woman from Australia to the UK in 2017 and abused her over a six-year period, a US lawsuit alleges. In a statement via his lawyers, Barnett vehemently denies the allegations. 'The claims made in today's complaint against me have no basis in reality and are untrue,' he said. 'We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated.' The civil complaint was lodged at a US district court in Los Angeles. An unnamed woman, referred to as 'Jane Doe', says Barnett 'trafficked' her and made 'repeated threats to her life and the lives of her minor children'. The civil case was filed on Wednesday and alleges the pair first met in the 1990s through a professional athlete in London. They reconnected online and then in person in 2017, it is claimed. She is then said to have moved to the UK with her teenage children with her expenses covered by Barnett's sports agency CAA Stellar. The papers say that on her arrival he told her he 'owned' her and raped her in a hotel room. The 75-year-old, who was ranked as the world's most powerful sports agent in 2019 by Forbes magazine, is accused in the lawsuit of telling the woman to obey him as 'My Master' and to 'never say it hurts'. The papers, which also describe alleged degrading acts that included drinking urine or ingesting faeces, say the woman was 'tied up overnight without food or water'. She says she was 'trafficked, threatened, tortured and held' in bondage from 2017 to 2023. 'Realising she was powerless against a dangerous predator, Ms Doe submitted to Barnett in order to avoid being severely beaten or even killed,' the lawsuit said. 'Jane Doe' is also suing Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency and sports agency CAA Stellar, where Mr Barnett was executive chairman until his retirement last year. The claimant is being represented by women's rights lawyer Tamara Holder-DeMaio, who wrote on X: 'We are proud to represent Jane Doe v CAA, Stellar & Jonathan Barnett.' The Los Angeles Times reports CAA said it first heard of the woman's allegations last year when her lawyers made settlement demands. 'While the complaint attempts to connect these allegations to CAA's business, Ms Doe has never been an employee, consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any business connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar,' CAA said in its statement. 'CAA takes any allegations of this nature seriously, and through counsel, promptly urged Ms Doe to contact law enforcement in the United Kingdom.' Barnett masterminded Bale's £85 million move to Real Madrid. Barnett, who was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School, announced his retirement last year. A defence is yet to be filed in the civil case.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Top football agent denies rape and trafficking amid US lawsuit
Jonathan Barnett, who retired early last year having represented some of British football's biggest stars, vehemently denies allegations made in a claim to a California court and says they have no basis in reality Jonathan Barnett has been accused of sex trafficking and rape in a civil case in the US. The former sports agent, who strenuously denies the allegations, is claimed to have trafficked a woman from Australia to London in the summer of 2017 after making initial contact on LinkedIn. According to court documents, submitted in California and seen by Mirror Football, Barnett, 75, allegedly used the woman as 'a sex slave' for a number of years and left her with 'a chronic injury that will last her entire lifetime.' The claim is calling for Barnett, who represented some of British football's biggest names before retiring suddenly in March last year, and the ICM Stellar agency to stand trial in front of a jury in a civil court for a range of allegations that fall under the American Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act. In a statement Barnett said: 'The claims made in today's complaint against me have no basis in reality and are untrue. We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated.' Stellar are included in the claim because they allegedly 'knowingly conspired, aided and abetted, and facilitated Barnett's sex trafficking venture through actions that occurred in the state of California.' The agency did not respond to a request for comment. Barnett is accused of telling the woman she must only refer to him as 'My Master' while overseeing alleged abuse that left the complainant 'tortured, injured, raped, and violently assaulted.' The 63-page complaint includes graphic descriptions of alleged incidents involving urine and faeces. It claims she was instructed to behave like a dog, would be handcuffed and forced to wear a tight collar, and 'her skin was often infected from the cuts, welts and bleeding' caused by physical abuse.
