Global Fútbol

On April 24th, the launch event of the Union of European Clubs (UEC), a new organisation that seeks to represent clubs that aren’t part of the European football elite, took place. The UEC aims to give a voice to more than 92% of the 1,500 clubs that make up the European football landscape, teams whose needs have previously been ignored in favour of a few elite clubs.

The launch event was attended by high-level representatives of various European entities, including Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Tomasz Frankowski, Member of the European Parliament, while there were representatives of the UEC and figures of major relevance within the European football scene, such as LaLiga President Javier Tebas, Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish and Union Saint-Gilloise President Alex Muzio.

Schinas, the Vice-President of the European Commission, stated: “In our European model of sport, all clubs need to be heard and treated equally. Size should not matter. Today’s launch of the UEC is a strong commitment to European solidarity and togetherness. Transparency, meritocracy and unity keep European football strong.”

LaLiga supported the launch of the UEC through the presence of several clubs and the participation of the organisation’s president, Javier Tebas, who highlighted: “European football is being dismantled little by little. The Super League wanted to dismantle it quickly, with a model at full speed, but there are others, such as the European Club Association (ECA), who are dismantling it little by little. Without a reaction from the clubs who don’t qualify for Europe, or who only do so rarely, the end result would be a football landscape in which our local leagues end up totally dismantled.”

Tebas also stressed the need to tackle governance issues in relation to European football, stating: “This partnership, in my opinion, will bring a breath of fresh air to the governance of European football. All clubs have a place, even those that aren’t always involved in European competitions. If we solve the governance problem, we will solve many other problems.”