ECA Executive Board Statement

The Board was unanimous in its condemnation of the actions of the departing members, which it holds to be self-serving and to the detriment of the game’s well-being and in clear opposition to ECA’s values. We believe that European Club Football can be reformed from within the system to achieve the collective best interests of all stakeholders in the game. The Board reiterated ECA’s clear position as the only legitimate and fully recognised voice of the leading clubs in Europe and, as such, has taken a number of decisions to ensure that it is able to continue to perform its role efficiently and effectively. Decisions taken include:

• Confirmation that the existing Executive Board remains as it currently stands to shape all key decisions and will now be complemented with new capabilities from ECA’s membership
• The creation of an Executive Committee to work under the auspices of the Executive Board to manage day-to-day work during this transitional period. ECA Board Members on this Executive Committee are:
• Nasser Al-Khelaifi (Paris Saint-Germain), Michael Gerlinger (FC Bayern München), Edwin van der Sar (AFC Ajax), Dariusz Mioduski (Legia Warszawa), Aki Riihilahti (HJK Helsinki) and Michele Centenaro (ECA’s Independent Board Member)
• The proposal of ECA’s Honorary Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FC Bayern München) to replace departed ECA Chairman Andrea Agnelli as one of two ECA representatives on the UEFA Executive Committee.

Under this new structure, ECA has put in place the required short-term certainty to continue to play its role in driving the crucial efforts of the Association on behalf of all its existing members, working alongside key stakeholders, most notably UEFA and also FIFA, FIFPRO and Leagues, in making the important decisions required to manage this period.

The Board has now asked the Executive Committee to consult and make a recommendation for the appointment of a new Chairman of ECA. In the next days, a number of further decisions relating to ECA structures, including elections/appointments to fill vacated Executive Board spots, will be taken and communicated.

In addition, following the UEFA ExCo’s approval today of a new format for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season, ECA’s new Executive Committee stated as follows:

“We are pleased that UEFA Club Competitions reform has reached this important milestone. The agreement of new competition formats will create a greater number of high quality, relevant, exciting European matches for fans and increase participation for clubs at all levels - principles and targets that ECA laid out back in the Spring of 2019 when we embarked on this reform journey. 

Moving forward, the entire ECA Executive Board’s focus will be on pursuing efforts to conclude arrangements with UEFA around its renewed relationship post 2024 as we look to shape European club football for the years ahead.”