Article by Darius Stanescu – published on Friday, July 04, 2025 22:18 / Updated on Friday, July 04, 2025 22:39
Jonathan Barnett (70 years old), former agent of Gareth Bale And one of the most influential international football agents, has been officially accused in the United States of human trafficking, torture and rape.
Barnett was accused by a complaint filed with a California court by his victim, an anonymous woman of abducting her from Australia to the United Kingdom in 2017 and torturing her for six years, aggressing her physically and sexually, through rape, more than 39 times. The victim also confessed that Barnett threatened to death on both her and her minor children.
Jonathan Barnett was officially accused by a woman of trafficking in people, rape and torture
The woman also accused the former agent of Bale of isolating her and held it under degrading conditions, such as water deprivation, food and hygiene, according to brand.com.
The woman also accused the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the former employer of Barnett, of complicity, that the agency “used his employees to help Barnett keep” the applicant Jane Doe as his “sexual slave”.
The agent denies all the accusations, as “false and unfounded”
Both Barnett and that they deny all the accusations, calling them “false and unfounded.” The agency said that it was not aware of the alleged incidents until January 2024 and that Barnett was no longer an employee of the company at the time.
“The statements made in the complaint against me have no real basis and are untrue. We will firmly defend this process through the appropriate legal procedures. I look forward to being fully justified and exonerated,” Barnett said in a statement sent through his lawyers.
Jonathan Barnett was a very important agent in international football. He was the author of some of the world's most important transfers, such as Gareth Bale at Real Madrid in 2013, the most expensive transfer of that moment (100 million euros) and Jack Grealish to Manchester City in 2021.
He also represented Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Kieron Dyer, Darren Bent, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell, Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson.
In 2020, Barnett sold the stellar group of the American agency ICM, which was later purchased by CAA Sports.
So far, neither the players represented by the English, nor the associated football organizations have issued any statement on this topic.
