Swedish agent to kick around in the Middle East
Who is Mowanes Sport Management?
My name is Dergham Mowanes and is the founder of Mowanes Sports Management and I have recently become an Overseas member of SBC.
Mowanes Sport Management is a modern agency for football players around the world with base in Stockholm, Sweden. Our vision is to be the world-leading sport management with our clients as the focus point for the business. We do emphasis on our players’ life outside the pitch also helping them with education and to think about their civil careers after football.
What made you want to start your own Sports Agency?
I have been playing football myself when I was younger and saw how players often don't get the support they need in life. Our clients are youngsters and need guidance not only on the pitch but during their whole life. It's important to have people who care about you and not only the money. I want to ensure that our clients enjoy their life also outside sports.
Yohan Cabaye, previous midfielder for the Al Nasr team UAE
Ali Adnan, Iraqi National Team Player & Dergham Mowanes
What were some of the main challenges in starting your own business?
The main challenge is to get the right connections. The business don't give you anything for free and you therefore need to work hard, really hard to get somewhere. But I have a strategy and honestly you need to make mistakes to learn from them and I have been doing a lot of mistakes but also learnt a lot from them. Even if this is one of the hardest businesses to establish I do really enjoy working in this industry. It's my passion!
What football team do you support?
As a company we don't support any other teams than the teams that our clients are playing for. But personally I have two favorite teams and I hope someday I get the opportunity to do business with them. The teams I do support are Crystal Palace FC and AC Milan. Before I started this company I was a member of both teams but now with my own company it is about transparency, but of course I do follow both team matches as often as I can.
Why are you looking at expanding into the Middle East?
The Middle East is one of the most interesting markets in this industry, but for me it is also a special market as my origins is from the Middle East (and I do speak fluent Arabic). It's therefore a market who I do admire because of its culture.
A couple of my clients are Iraqi nationals and to hear them talking about the fans in Iraq is fantastic. How they enjoy the endless love from people and see the hope in their faces when their national team got to play in Iraq after many years. The same is in the UAE where many locals have their favourite team and support them in health and sickness.
I have been visiting the UAE frequently during the last six years and I do admire the interesting processes of developing the league. But the most fantastic fans you’ll find in Saudi Arabia. I did attend the Saudi Super Cup in London a couple of years ago and what a fantastic experience. When I was there I thought for myself if the fans come to London to support their team and make this vast amount of noise what about the league in Saudi Arabia. Now with Covid-19 my plans to visit the Kingdom as well as the UAE is put aside but I hope to connect with the teams there very soon.
Thank you very much Dergham for sharing your passion.