EU-related News
The European Club Association (ECA) attended a hearing on Monday 22nd May organised by the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The hearing, which took place in Paris, brought together key football stakeholders from across Europe to share their views on issues related to governance in football and forms part of the consultation process leading to the upcoming adoption by PACE of a report entitled 'Good Football Governance'.
ECA General Secretary, Michele Centenaro spoke on behalf of ECA alongside representatives from UEFA, FIFA, EPFL and FIFPro. The hearing was divided into two roundtables termed 'Football governance and the protection of Human Rights' and 'Money and football: towards more transparent, ethical and solidarity based management of football profits'. Discussions covered significant areas of interest, including governance, the protection of minors, gender equality, discrimination, the ownership of players, as well as financial transparency, football development programmes, solidarity mechanisms within the professional game and the role of players' agents.
ECA welcomes the opportunity to work constructively with public authorities and political organisations in order to secure the sustainable development of football at all levels. The expert knowledge provided by the hearing participants will assist in ensuring that the final report will be all-encompassing and fair, offering a balanced approach to the future development of the game.