Rome, Oct 8 (AP) After 17 years as the European Club Association, the influential network of soccer teams has reached new heights in its dealings with UEFA concerning the Champions League and its future. The organization has rebranded to European Football Clubs (EFC).
This week, the newly named EFC holds its annual assembly of influential officials in Rome, highlighting its unprecedented negotiating power with both FIFA and UEFA over elite competitions. The ECA was originally established in 2008 to foster cooperation, democracy, and financial benefits for renowned teams amid years of disputes with international soccer bodies.
Today, relations are amicable, reformed after the split with UEFA four years ago. This occurred when a group of ECA-led clubs, spearheaded by Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus, attempted and failed to launch the breakaway European Super League. Strong ties with European clubs and their chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi from Paris Saint-Germain have become crucial for UEFA and its president, Aleksander Ceferin, often overshadowing their dealings with FIFA. This alliance is highlighted by a signed contract valid through 2033.
Ceferin, previously scorched by the ECA's former leader Andrea Agnelli's Super League plot, reaffirmed his commitment on Wednesday, stating, "Together with EFC, we will ensure our club football remains inclusive, giving everyone a fair chance to win in top competitions." Al-Khelaifi reciprocated the commendation, acknowledging, "I admire the UEFA president for his values and courage." Al-Khelaifi also oversees the Champions League rights holder BeIN Media Group and is a member of Qatar's government.
History of ECA
The ECA emerged from the G-14 group, founded in 1998 by clubs that later formed the core of the Super League. The group was formed out of frustration from being marginalized in decision-making by FIFA and UEFA, who monetized tournaments using club-employed players without compensation. In 2005, G-14 backed a Belgian club, Charleroi, in a landmark legal case against FIFA, highlighting the risk clubs faced regarding player injuries.
When Michel Platini became UEFA president in 2007, discussions to replace G-14 with a more inclusive group of clubs progressed, culminating in an agreement that provided monetary compensation from FIFA and UEFA and terminated legal actions.
Club Leadership
The leadership dynamics between UEFA and ECA featured celebrated Ballon d'Or winners with mutual World Cup legacies: Platini and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, then the CEO of Bayern Munich. They navigated through the Financial Fair Play regulations aimed at curbing excessive club expenditures in UEFA competitions. “We will cooperate in the future with UEFA, there's no doubt about that,” affirmed Rummenigge in 2016, a year before passing his role to Agnelli.
UEFA's subsequent president, the Slovenian lawyer Ceferin, aligned with Agnelli, who even became godfather to one of his children while Agnelli simultaneously negotiated a new, club-friendly Champions League format and plotted the Super League during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Super League
Persistent speculation served as leverage over UEFA during continuous conversations concerning Champions League entry criteria and prize distribution, typically benefiting wealthier clubs and leagues. The ECA in March 2009 dismissed Super League rumors as “spread by three major European newspapers.” Years later, fresh speculation was labeled a “fever dream” by an Italian official. Nonetheless, UEFA's initiative to involve clubs provided financial transparency and insights necessary for clubs to conceptualize their own league.
The Super League project collapsed within 48 hours due to mass opposition from fans and governments. PSG abstained from the rebel venture, allowing Al-Khelaifi, already positioned on UEFA's executive committee, to seize ECA's helm and restore its integrity.
Clubs' Achievements
The ECA's foundational success secured financial compensation from FIFA, starting with $40 million in disbursements from the 2010 World Cup revenue, benefiting clubs globally at a daily rate for players attending the tournament in South Africa. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA will distribute USD 355 million, rewarding hundreds more clubs for their players participating in qualifying matches. The ECA also persuaded FIFA to establish an insurance fund that offset player salary losses due to injuries sustained during international duty, budgeting $36 million for this initiative.
In terms of logistics, national teams were alleviated from one-game breaks in February and August, reducing long-distance travel demands for players due to a streamlined match calendar. Al-Khelaifi steadfastly negotiated with FIFA to ensure lucrative prize guarantees for the recently revamped $2 billion Club World Cup.
The contemporary Champions League features 36 teams rather than 32, with each team playing eight games instead of six, facing higher-profile opponents more frequently. The league stage extends to 144 games, in contrast to the 96-game format previously set by UEFA.
This season, the Champions League's prize pool escalates to nearly 2.5 billion euros (USD 2.92 billion), a substantial increase from the 583 million euros (USD 681 million) pot during ECA's inaugural season. UEFA's annual expenditure towards ECA's operating costs dramatically surged from 1.6 million euros (USD 1.87 million) in 2008 to 25 million euros (USD 29.2 million) last year, attributed to the expansion of member services.
Clubs have held two seats on UEFA's executive committee since 2017, currently occupied by Al-Khelaifi and Miguel Ángel Gil from Atletico Madrid, reinstated after joining the Super League.
A pivotal 2012 renewal of the ECA-UEFA agreement assured a "Referral Right" concerning all club football deliberations, which the ECA exercised in 2016 — during UEFA's presidential vacancy — to secure four dedicated Champions League group-stage slots for top-tier nations, specifically benefiting England, Spain, Germany, and Italy and relegating lower-ranked nations to the third-tier Conference League.
Furthermore, UEFA afforded the ECA greater authority in administering competitions, formalizing a commercial joint venture known as UC3, enhancing club influence in decisions, including selecting the United States-based agency Relevent to broker future Champions League broadcast and sponsorship arrangements through 2033.
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
