Madrid (EFE) guaranteed by club.
The company A22 Sports Management, promoter of the Super League, revealed these approaches after the conversations that the organization has held since last October with more than 50 clubs and football players on European club competitions.
As reported in a statement, the ten principles on which the Super League would be based are the following:
1. Open competitions based on sporting merit
The European league should be an open competition, with several divisions, made up of between 60 and 80 teams, and that allows a sustainable distribution of income throughout the football pyramid. Participation each season should be based on sporting merit, with no permanent members. The qualification system should be open, based on performance in national competitions, thus allowing all clubs access to the competition while maintaining competitive dynamics at the national level.
2. National competitions: the foundations of football
Participants should remain committed to their national competitions and tournaments, just as they are today. At the same time, the critical need to strengthen and make more competitive national tournaments across the continent must be addressed. European competitions should play a key role in achieving this goal, generating and injecting additional resources into the entire system.
3. Improve competitiveness with stable and sustainable resources
Improving the competitiveness of European clubs requires a greater distribution of financial resources for the whole pyramid and financial sustainability rules that are rigorously applied. Clubs need greater stability and visibility of their annual income to be able to make long-term commitments, both with their players and with the development of infrastructures.
A better and more attractive European competition format would generate additional resources, and there is no doubt that the financial stability of the clubs would be greatly increased if they were guaranteed a minimum of 14 European games per season.
4. The health of the players must be at the center of our sport
The number of days of European competition should not increase with respect to that planned in the current calendars. Players’ associations should be more involved in ensuring the health of players, and social dialogue should be promoted in the EU. It is essential that European clubs and their players cannot be forced by third parties to participate in new competitions or expanded calendars of current tournaments.
5. Competitions governed by clubs
European club competitions should be governed by the clubs, as is the case at national level, and not by third parties who benefit from the system without taking any risk. Its governance structure must fully comply with EU regulations.
European football must be sustainable and, for this, club spending should be based solely on the resources that the clubs are capable of generating, and not on third-party capital injections that distort the competition.
Financial sustainability rules must limit club spending on player salaries and transfers to a fixed percentage of their annual revenue, with specific regulations tailored to smaller clubs and the transitional period.
6. The best soccer competition in the world
The aim must be to develop a European football competition that becomes the most exciting sporting event in the world. European fans deserve the best matches and the best experience.
It is also critical that the younger generations, drawn to globally expanding American sports and digital entertainment media, continue to embrace soccer as the world’s most beloved sport. And all this can only be achieved with competitions that allow the best players in the world to compete throughout the season with exciting matches, from start to finish.
7. Improve the fan experience
Additional measures should be taken to make it easier for fans to attend away games. Standards should also be established with the aim of regulating the quality of stadiums and other football infrastructure, thus improving the live football experience.
8. Develop and finance women’s football
It is essential to promote and develop women’s football, raise its profile and put it under the spotlight along with the men’s competitions. To achieve this goal, funding from European women’s club competitions should be significantly expanded. Investments in women’s football should target both the professional level and the development of grassroots football.
9. Significantly increase solidarity
As announced, the contribution of a minimum of 400 million euros per year for solidarity, clubs that do not participate in the competition and social causes – that is, more than double the contribution of the current European Club Competitions – should help achieve this goal. Transparency in management should also be guaranteed through the supervision of independent authorities that report publicly and periodically on the destination of the funds and their impact.
10. Respect for the values and regulations of the European Union
No European club should be forced to submit to conflict resolution systems outside the European Union and its rule of law. The jurisdiction of sports arbitration should be strictly limited to issues of a sports nature, and any legal issue of another nature should be resolved in the appropriate forum for it. And in all cases, under the ultimate supervision of the judicial system of the European Union.
In the aforementioned statement, Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22 Sports Management, assured that in the meetings held so far they have “been able to feel the fear of the clubs to demonstrate publicly against a system in which the threat of sanctions is used to prevent any attempt at opposition.
«Our dialogue has been honest, direct and fruitful. And the conclusions are clear, both about the need to change the system and how to do it. Our objective is to present to Europe, after the resolution of the case, a sustainable sports project for club competitions, open to at least the 27 Member States of the European Union.
he problems are evident and we must act for the benefit of the fans, players and clubs,” he added.
