001 United Sports
Emerging Routes
Global €10mm
Key Facts
Also known as: United Sports Management LTD, United & Abberton Sports
Founded: Not publicly disclosed
Headquarters: Not publicly disclosed
Players: 35+ (15 first-tier) | Total market value: €10mm
FIFA/FA registration: Andrei Balmos and Roni Layous are publicly listed as licensed owners. Andrei Balmos is also independently listed as a FIFA licensed football agent authorised to represent minors. Roni Layous is independently listed as a FIFA licensed agent in Israel and authorised to represent minors.
Languages: English, Romanian, Hebrew, Greek
Regions covered: Romania, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden, France, Nigeria, Moldova, Tunisia, Estonia, wider Eastern Europe, West Africa and selected European markets
Email: Layousroni30@gmail.com, andreibalmosagent@gmail.com
Phone: +30 698 915 4683, +44 7368 542930
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreibalmos85/
About
001 United Sports is a compact but fast-growing football representation group with a visible footprint across Romania, Israel, Nigeria, Sweden, France, Cyprus and North Africa. Its public roster combines established senior players such as Cătălin Căbuz and Devis Epassy with a strong pathway of Nigerian and Romanian prospects moving into Romania, Sweden, France, Tunisia, Israel and Cyprus.
The agency’s recent profile has been lifted by two clear stories: Elijah Odede’s €3.00mm move from Sheriff Tiraspol to Troyes, and Zadok Yohanna’s rapid rise at AIK, where Brighton and other European clubs have been linked with major bids. The group’s differentiator is its network-based player pathway model, especially for young African players entering European football through Moldova, Romania, Israel, Sweden and France.
Key People
Andrei Balmos – Owner / Licensed Agent
Andrei Balmos is publicly listed as a licensed owner of 001 United Sports, with direct contact details attached to the agency profile. His public Instagram bio describes him as a FIFA Agent and Business Development Executive, while an independent agent registry lists him as FIFA licensed and authorised to represent minors. His public social activity connects him to Romanian market work, young goalkeeper development and player placements involving UTA Arad, Poli Iași and FC Argeș.
Contact: andreibalmosagent@gmail.com | +44 7368 542930 | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreibalmos85/Roni Layous – Owner / Licensed Agent
Roni Layous is publicly listed as a licensed owner of 001 United Sports, with the agency contact line attached to his name. His LinkedIn profile describes him as a licensed football agent and lawyer specialised in professional player career management, while an independent agent registry lists him as FIFA licensed in Israel and authorised to represent minors. He is also publicly linked with scouting activity in Nigeria and with several young-player pathway moves.
Contact: Layousroni30@gmail.com | +30 698 915 4683 |
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roni-layous-43727b1a4/Wisam Layous – Marketing
Anatoli Ponomarev – Staff / Representative
Alagi Sosseh – Staff / Representative
Licensed agents
Andrei Balmos – licensed owner; FIFA licensed football agent; authorised to represent minors
Roni Layous – licensed owner; FIFA licensed football agent in Israel; authorised to represent minors
Client Roster
Top players (current)
Zadok Yohanna (AIK) – 29.06.2007
Cătălin Căbuz (FC Argeș) – 18.06.1996
Elijah Odede (ESTAC Troyes) – 12.01.2007
Vlad Pop (Unirea Slobozia) – 31.08.2000
David Ankeye (Krasava ENY) – 22.05.2002
Mark Țuțu (UTA Arad) – 02.01.2004
Devis Epassy (FC Dinamo 1948) – 02.02.1993
Friday Adams (FC Botoșani) – 23.11.2002
Ime Ndon (UTA Arad) – 07.06.2003
Godwin Kalu (AS Marsa) – 24.04.2006
Coaches/Staff represented (if any)
Dan Ignat (ACS Oltul Curtişoara) is publicly listed as a represented manager.
Notable Deals
2025 – Elijah Odede – Sheriff Tiraspol to ESTAC Troyes – permanent – €3mm – contract to 30.06.2030. Troyes announced a five-year deal, while Moldovan and player-data sources reported a €3.00mm fee, described as a Moldovan championship record sale.
2024 – David Ankeye – Sheriff Tiraspol to Genoa – permanent – €2.5mm – contract initially reported to June 2028. Italian and player-data sources reported the fee around €2.50mm; later profile data shows Genoa contract control through 2027 and subsequent loan moves.
2025 – Zadok Yohanna – Ikon Allah FC to AIK – permanent – €0.75mm reported in public departure data – contract to 31.12.2029. AIK announced the agreement with Ikon Allah FC and a contract through December 2029; separate public departure data lists €750k.
2024 – Cătălin Căbuz – CFR Cluj to FC Hermannstadt – permanent – €0.05mm – four-year contract. Romanian media reported Hermannstadt bought the goalkeeper permanently for €50k after a loan spell.
2026 – Cătălin Căbuz – FC Hermannstadt to FC Argeș – swap transfer – fee undisclosed – goalkeeper exchange involving David Lazar. FC Argeș confirmed the two clubs reached an agreement for a goalkeeper swap.
2026 – David Ankeye – Genoa to Krasava ENY – loan – fee undisclosed – loan to 31.05.2026. The Cypriot club and player-profile data confirm the January 2026 loan move.
2026 – Ime Ndon – Milsami / previous pathway to UTA Arad – winter signing – fee undisclosed – contract to 30.06.2027, with option for another year. Public player-profile data lists UTA Arad from 07.01.2026 with a 2027 contract and extension option.
2026 – Michael Idowu – Jimmy Football Academy to FC Argeș – signing – fee undisclosed – contract to 30.06.2028. FC Argeș announced the signing of the Nigerian right winger in February 2026.
2026 – Gideon Goodlad – Corvinul Hunedoara signing – free / fee undisclosed – contract to 30.06.2028. Corvinul announced a two-and-a-half-year agreement in February 2026.
Services
Player representation
Career management
Transfer and loan mediation
Club placement across Europe, Israel, North Africa and West Africa
Youth pathway development
Scouting and academy-to-Europe routes
Contract negotiation
Player marketing and visibility
Minor-player representation through licensed agents where permitted
Cross-border support for players moving from Africa into European football
Partner Network
Romanian clubs visible through current clients include FC Argeș, UTA Arad, FC Dinamo 1948, Unirea Slobozia, FC Botoșani, ACSM Reșița, CSM Slatina, Corvinul Hunedoara, Petrolul Ploiești, CS Dinamo București and Politehnica Iași.
International club links include ESTAC Troyes, AIK, Genoa, Krasava ENY, AS Marsa, Hapoel Raanana, SC Kfar Qasem, AEK Athens U19, Stade Tunisien, ES Zarzis and Kalju FC.
African academy and scouting links are visible through Ikon Allah FC / Ikon Allah Football Academy, Castle Football Academy and Jimmy Football Academy pathways.
Marketing is publicly represented in the staff structure by Wisam Layous.
Track Record (last 3 seasons)
Total transfers completed: at least 10 publicly traceable transfers, loans, signings or contract milestones from 2024 to 2026 across current or recently listed clients, including Odede to Troyes, Ankeye to Genoa, Ankeye to Krasava ENY, Yohanna to AIK, Căbuz to Hermannstadt, Căbuz to FC Argeș, Ime Ndon to UTA Arad, Michael Idowu to FC Argeș, Gideon Goodlad to Corvinul and Godwin Kalu to AS Marsa.
Deals ≥ €10m: 0 completed public deals in the reviewed record. However, Zadok Yohanna is currently linked with a potential €22.00mm to €23.00mm move, with AIK confirming negotiations and public reports naming Brighton as a key suitor.
Clients in top-5 leagues: 0 current first-team top-five-league clients on the top-10 snapshot. David Ankeye remains under Genoa contract control but is currently on loan at Krasava ENY.
Clients in first-tier leagues: 15, according to the current public agency profile.
National team clients: at least 5 current or former senior / youth national-team profiles are visible: Devis Epassy with Cameroon, Mark Țuțu with Romania U21, Mihai Răcășan with Romania U19 / U17, Iustin Chirilă with Romania U20 and Cătălin Căbuz with Romania U21.
Renewal/extension deals: limited public evidence of major renewals. Visible contract milestones include Elijah Odede’s Troyes contract to 2030, Zadok Yohanna’s AIK contract to 2029, Michael Idowu’s FC Argeș contract to 2028, Gideon Goodlad’s Corvinul contract to 2028 and Mihai Răcășan’s CFR Cluj contract control to 2029 while on loan.
Approach & Philosophy
001 United Sports appears to operate as a high-mobility pathway agency rather than a traditional single-market representation shop. The roster shows a clear strategy of moving emerging African players into European entry markets such as Moldova, Romania, Israel, Sweden, Tunisia and Cyprus, then using performance windows to open larger opportunities in France, Italy and potentially the Premier League.
The agency also has a strong Romanian development angle, particularly around young goalkeepers and U21 players. Andrei Balmos’ public content around four young goalkeepers starting in Liga 2, plus the representation of Cătălin Căbuz, Iustin Chirilă, Mihai Răcășan and Denis Moldovan, suggests a targeted goalkeeper and Romanian-youth pathway alongside the Nigerian recruitment channel.
Fees & Transparency
No public commission schedule, dual-representation policy, image-rights policy or expense policy was found for 001 United Sports. The agency’s public profile confirms licensed representation status and direct owner-agent contact details, but not its commercial fee structure.
Under FIFA’s football-agent framework, agents must generally be licensed and operate through representation agreements. FIFA’s regulatory model centres on licensing, service agreements, conduct obligations, restrictions on certain forms of multiple representation and service-fee rules, with implementation still shaped by national associations and litigation in some jurisdictions.
Compliance & Reputation
Disciplinary actions / sanctions: No public disciplinary sanction tied directly to 001 United Sports, Andrei Balmos or Roni Layous surfaced in the reviewed sources. The agency and its two listed owners are publicly identified as licensed.
Litigation / disputes: No meaningful public litigation trail tied directly to 001 United Sports surfaced in the reviewed public sources.
Media sentiment: Positive / neutral. The visible coverage is mostly transfer-led and opportunity-focused, especially around Elijah Odede’s record Moldovan exit to Troyes, Zadok Yohanna’s AIK breakout and reported Premier League interest, and multiple young-player placements in Romania, Israel and Cyprus. No broad negative media pattern surfaced in the reviewed sources.
Awards/recognition
Andrei Balmos publicly listed as a FIFA licensed football agent authorised to represent minors
Roni Layous publicly listed as a FIFA licensed football agent in Israel authorised to represent minors
Representation link to Elijah Odede’s €3mm move to Troyes, reported as the most expensive sale in Moldovan championship history
Representation link to Zadok Yohanna, one of the most closely followed young players in Sweden in 2026, with AIK confirming active sale negotiations
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