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Uefa is reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ to create a joint venture with the European Club Association (ECA) that would see the continent’s elite soccer sides given greater control over the media and sponsorship rights related to the governing body’s top club competitions.
According to a report by the Financial Times (FT), the move would coincide with a mooted revamp of the Uefa Champions League that will see the creation of more matches between Europe’s top teams from 2024.
Last month, Uefa and other soccer bodies in Europe discussed proposals for a new-look Champions League that could see the competition expand to 36 clubs, with the number of matches per season rising from 125 to 225.
The revamped format is part of an effort to head off the threat of a breakaway European super league, which is said to have the support of some clubs, including Spanish giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Citing ‘people briefed on the talks’, the FT reports that the joint venture would manage and market rights to the second-tier Europa League as well as the Champions League, which is Uefa’s biggest money-spinner.
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Uefa currently has the final say over the commercial rights to all of its club competitions, although the ECA advises the body through a company called UCC SA, which was formed in 2017.
According to the FT, that company could be restructured as part of the new proposals, or an entirely new entity could be created in which the ECA, whose chairman is Juventus boss Andrea Agnelli, would have an equal say.
Rights packages could also be reworked to give clubs greater control over content distribution and the ability to display their own sponsors within stadiums more prominently during continental matches.
The FT adds that ‘even more radical changes’ could also be introduced, such as the development of a dedicated streaming service or allowing private equity funds to invest in the competitions.
The ECA, a 246-member body that represents Europe’s elite clubs, has been pushing for a greater say in the governance of the continental game for some time. Currently, Uefa distributes €3.25 billion to participating clubs each year in the form of prize money and revenue from commercial rights deals.
Speaking to SportsPro earlier this year, ECA chief executive Charlie Marshall said: “The one thing that Covid has clearly done is reinforced the message that the clubs are the key economic actors in the industry and, therefore, they should be in more of a position to make the decisions on the basis of which the industry operates.
“The ECA’s view is that there needs to be balance. There are many stakeholders in the industry, and they all make up what is a very, very vibrant industry, the world’s number one sport. What Covid has definitely shown is that clubs need and can be delivered – if we continue to do our work – more of a say in how those decisions are made.”
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