11 September 2018
Important work has already been done, but there are still many initiatives planned to improve European football. This is the message launched today by Andrea Agnelli, President of ECA, the association of European clubs, during the twenty-first general assembly of the association in Split, Croatia, which was attended by the representatives of 160 clubs.
"From today to 2024, when a new International Match Calendar will be defining the football landscape, the game will evolve in many noticeable ways. Clubs will have to be key players in the elaboration of the IMC as we are the only stakeholders in the industry that bear the entrepreneurial and sporting risks."
The President stressed the importance of the progress made in recent years, including the renewal of the Club Licensing and the Fair Play Financial regulations, and improvements for the future of UEFA European competitions, especially in the Europa League 2021- 2024. On this last point, the discussion dealt with the issue of reducing the number of teams participating in the EL and the possible introduction of a third European competition, so as to expand the number of participants in UEFA club competitions to 96, whilst increasing at the same time the value of each tournament. Other points highlighted by the agenda of the ECA General Assembly concerned the progressive evolution of the transfer system and an initial analysis of the use of VAR during the World Cup to better understand its potential in the development of football in the future. Agnelli also stressed how important it is to start planning for what will be the European football scenario after 2024.
