UEFA-related News
The European Club Association (ECA) decided to annually support the UEFA Europa League and the qualifying phase of Europe's club competitions as from 2018 with a total amount of €60 million.
This decision follows discussions held during the first UEFA Club Competitions Committee (CCC) Working Group meeting on 20 September and a joint initiative of ECA Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. The ECA Executive Board unanimously agreed with proposed solidarity contribution.
With a view to strengthening unity and solidarity in European club football, it was decided to allocate an extra amount of €50 million to the Europa League and €10 million to the qualifying phase. The ECA Executive Board also recommends that the distribution mechanism of the solidarity payments to leagues (€128 million) should be revised to allow for a more equal split among all top-division clubs in Europe. Currently, 80% of the total amount is predominantly distributed among clubs from the major European leagues.
"I am pleased that within ECA we manage to reach quick and simple decisions for the good of football", says ECA Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "ECA is a strong and reliable partner of UEFA. Solidarity is a key pillar of the European club football model, which has always been supported by ECA and its member clubs."
While the 2018-21 club competition concept as adopted by the UEFA Executive Committee on 26 August remains unchanged, the CCC Working Group meets again today in Nyon to continue its work in finalising all details.