Investigative firm Kroll want to bring big-brother methods into football by offering to monitor players on social media.
A delegation from Kroll, including consultant Alex Horne, the former FA chief executive, pitched their plans to a meeting of the Association of Football Agents this week.
Kroll say a forensic study of material that is in the public domain on social media would allow agents and clubs to look after their players better and, more importantly, provide early warnings of trouble ahead.
Kroll suggest their surveillance could have highlighted to Sunderland the danger of Adam Johnson’s social media behaviour before he was jailed for sexual activity with a 15-year-old schoolgirl, whom he had groomed online.