The European Leagues gathered this week in London for their second General Assembly of the current 2023-24 football season, hosted by the Premier League. The meeting was opened by Premier League CEO Richard Masters alongside European Leagues President Pedro Proença, followed by contributions from all major football stakeholders including UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, FIFPRO Europe President David Terrier, Football Supporters Europe CEO Ronan Evain and by UEC founder and General Secretary Dennis Gudasic.
UEFA Club Competitions
During the two-day meeting, there was a discussion with UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis and Deputy General Secretary, Giorgio Marchetti, on UEFA Club Competitions, following the formal adoption in February by UEFA Executive Committee of the new Revenue Distribution system for the upcoming 2024-27 cycle. This decision represents a landmark result for the European Leagues Association following a years-long campaign for a fairer revenue distribution model in UEFA Club Competitions aimed at protecting the competitive balance of domestic leagues and enhancing infrastructure and talent development.
The leagues were encouraged by UEFA’s continued support for the fundamental principles of openness and qualification for international club competitions via domestic competition annual performances while always respecting weekends reserved for domestic leagues.
Calendar Matters
UEFA and the European Leagues have agreed to work closely together to manage the transition into a significantly expanded set of UEFA Club Competitions from 2024-25 onwards. European Leagues continued to raise concerns about the pressure placed on domestic football by the introduction of new international competitions and the dramatic growth in international matches that is overloading calendars. Members also expressed disappointment at the lack of transparency and formal consultation in the decision-making process at FIFA-level. As recommended by the recent judgement of the ECJ on the Super League case, the leagues call for a more transparent, objective and non-discriminatory set of regulations to govern professional football and those important decisions – such as the calendar – which affect the whole ecosystem and heavily impact the domestic markets that provide the foundations of the whole football industry.
European Leagues Statutes and Regulations
A new set of statutes and internal regulations were adopted to improve the operativity and efficiency of the Association. These changes included the granting of voting rights to Associate Members and the newly adopted simple majority for decisions at Board level which shall empower the Leagues’ executive body to act more rapidly and effectively.
New EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation
The European Leagues took note of this week’s adoption by the European Parliament of the new EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation which for the first time will include, as from 2029, football clubs as obliged entities within the scope of the new legislation. The Leagues share the EU’s objective to tackle financial crime and will work closely with its members to ensure optimal national implementation of EU rules to support the continued growth of Europe’s diverse football landscape.
Financial Support to Ukrainian Premier League
At today’s General Assembly, The European Leagues and its members were glad to announce the allocation of more than €1M of additional financial support to the Ukrainian Premier League.
Board of Directors
The Assembly elected Michal Mertinyak – CEO of the Slovakian Professional Football League – to the European Leagues’ Board of Directors until the end of the current mandate (2021-25).
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