UEFA urged to increase payments to non-elite clubs to reward player development
The Union of European Clubs on Monday proposed the creation of a financial system that would see continental governing body UEFA share 5 per cent of its revenue from club competitions with low-ranked football clubs that develop elite players.
Last year, UEFA said the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup would generate a gross revenue of 4.4 billion euros in the 2024-25 season, 5 per cent of which would be 220 million euros ($244.79 million).
Under the proposed system, titled 'Player Development Reward' (PDR), only clubs who did not reach the league phase of the Champions League would be eligible for payouts, which would be based on minutes played in UEFA competitions and prize money earned by players.
In a statement, the UEC, which represents non-elite professional clubs, said the PDR is "a pragmatic, merit-based approach to restoring fairness and balance in the football ecosystem...
"The concept has already been presented to the European Commission and to key stakeholders across football, receiving encouraging initial feedback," it added.
"The core principle is clear: clubs that invest in player development should be fairly rewarded when those players contribute to the success of European competitions."
The UEC added that nearly 1,500 clubs across Europe would have received PDR payments if the system had been in place last season, with over 400 clubs earning more than 100,000 euros.
UEFA has already committed 7 per cent of its revenue for the 2024-27 cycle to clubs not taking part in men's continental competitions, but the UEC said UEFA's system was "outdated and misaligned with the goals of sustainable football."
Reuters has asked UEFA for comment.
The UEC was formed in 2022 and is separate to the European Club Association, which is headed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi and says it is the sole representative body of clubs in Europe.
The ECA, which has a Memorandum of Understanding with UEFA that runs until 2033, represents more than 440 clubs across the continent, although it is dominated by the big teams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
'Nearly a dream', Argentina's Contepomi basks in unique Lions win
DUBLIN :Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi knew just how special and potentially unique Friday's victory over the British and Irish Lions was, having gone agonisingly close as a player two decades ago. Contepomi was captain when the sides last met before the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand, when the Pumas were a Johnny Wilkinson stoppage time penalty away from a first ever victory in the fixture. That game ended in a 25-25 draw, and Friday's contest was just Argentina's second shot at the Lions in almost a century. Their first six meetings were played during tours of Argentina when the Lions did not limit their itinerary to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Contepomi said they could not be sure when they would get the opportunity again. "It's kind of a one-off. It's an invitation game and the last time, it was 20 years ago, and we were just there and we couldn't beat them," Contepomi told a press conference. "Coming here 20 years later I think it's incredible. We don't know if we'll ever again be invited or not to play and definitely for everyone who's been involved this week it will be memorable." "It is special. I know how special it is for an Irish, a Scottish, a Welsh or an English player to be a Lion, and for us to play against the best of the best in these islands, it's nearly a dream." The former Argentina flyhalf, who knows British and Irish rugby well, having spent six seasons with Leinster and worked as a doctor during his time in Ireland, said he expected Australia to face a far more ferocious set of Lions next month. "We took a bit of an opportunity because I know they'll be much better in one month's time when they play Australia. They'll be an awesome team, because they have so much quality in there," he said.
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Mastantuono's move to Real Madrid was premature, says River boss Gallardo
Franco Mastantuono's transfer to Real Madrid came too soon, while the 17-year-old was still developing and pivotal to River Plate's future, said coach Marcelo Gallardo ahead of the Argentine team's Club World Cup match against Monterrey. Gallardo acknowledged Mastantuono's departure will leave a void in his squad after the Spanish giants completed a deal worth around $45 million with River for the teenager earlier this month. For the Argentine manager, the midfielder still needed more time to grow at the club, but he acknowledged the early transfer as an understandable part of modern football. "It's natural, we train players for the world. Everything is happening earlier, young players are leaving faster, and I understand that those are the rules of the game," Gallardo told ESPN on Friday. "Our sporting project for the year was with him. We have to readjust, because there are players who, by their nature, are difficult to replace. "We knew that Mastantuono was going to leave at some point, but fans don't enjoy it that way. The market dictates the timing." Gallardo said he's urging Mastantuono to stay focused on the tournament despite the noise around his move. "All I want is for him to play naturally, to try to forget about everything that's going on, which is very difficult," he said. "I don't talk to him about where he's going to live or anything like that. I want him to play, which is what he knows how to do." River began their Club World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, a result Gallardo described as key to easing early nerves. "We are happy to be able to be in a competition like this, a new one," he said. "I'm excited about how it's going, it was essential to start with a win and get over the nerves. "Now we're preparing for the match in Monterrey, which is a different level of difficulty."
CNA
10 hours ago
- CNA
'No excuses' says Lions coach Farrell after Argentina loss
DUBLIN :Coach Andy Farrell had hoped for a tough game against Argentina before the British and Irish Lions boarded their flight for Australia and said his still gelling squad had no excuses after getting more than they bargained for in a 28-24 defeat. "We made it a tough game," a forthright Farrell said when asked if he got the kind of stern test he wanted and that the group's limited time together was no kind of mitigating factor. "I wouldn't give that excuse. We need to be better than that. They're Lions players." While Farrell said he was pleased with the Lions' aggressive scrummaging, the list of areas to improve was long: a "clunky" attack, breakdown, misfiring lineout, kicking game, throwing balls blindly away and battles in the air and on the ground. "It's too much, it's too much when it all comes together... The whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors and in the end we weren't able to put the pace on the game that we wanted to because of that," Farrell said. "We need to be honest because if we're not honest, how do we gain trust with each other so we have to say it as it is. There were certain things that we said we were going to do and we need to own that." "Losing hurts, especially in this jersey so we need to find the solutions pretty quickly." Farrell had said he expected the Lions to have a fully fit squad in the next week with Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan and Huw Jones working their way back to fitness, and at least appeared to come away unscathed on Friday. "Health wise we seem to have come away okay," he said. Centre Bundee Aki, one of the Lions' try scorers who said he was disappointed in his own performance and not connecting better with new centre partner Sione Tuipulotu, said Farrell had been just as forthright in the changing room. "He gives it to us straight, there's no mucking around and we're old enough to take it on the chin. Faz (Farrell) set out a challenge for us to win every game and we've just got to learn quickly," the Irish number 12 said. "You can feel the frustration of the boys in the changing room. (But) that's the great thing about rugby, there's always another couple of days to be able to rectify what was wrong so I'm sure we'll bounce back quickly as a group."
