UEFA and ECA sign Memorandum of Understanding

007 - Renewed agreement extended until 2024

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and European Club Association (ECA) Chairman Andrea Agnelli have today, in Rome, signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will now run until 2024.

Building on their close cooperation over the last eleven years, the memorandum outlines the strong willingness of UEFA and ECA to continue to work together with mutual trust and clarity of objectives to ensure the well-being and stability of European football.

Aleksander Čeferin and Andrea Agnelli sign the Memorandum of Understanding©UEFA

The renewed agreement reinforces the commitment of UEFA and ECA to protect the integrity of the game and to preserve it from scourges such as violence, match-fixing and doping. The long-term viability of the game is addressed by the common willingness to further develop and evolve Financial Fair Play but also to improve the International Match Calendar post-2024, with a view to ensuring enhanced harmonisation and separation between club and national team competitions and especially an overall release of pressure, allowing for proper rest and training periods for players.

Good governance is also a focus, at both national association and club level. UEFA’s commitment in this respect is confirmed by having club representatives appointed to a number of additional relevant UEFA committees, thereby furthering clubs’ participation in UEFA’s decision-making structures.

Since the agreement has been extended until after UEFA EURO 2024, the financial reward recognising the contribution of clubs to the success of UEFA national team competitions has been updated to fully include the EURO 2024 competition cycle.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: "I am delighted that we have reached such an agreement and that we - as Europe’s football governing body - and European clubs will continue to work closely together to further promote, develop and shape the future of football across the continent. I would like to thank the ECA Executive Board and its Chairman Andrea Agnelli for the constructive and collaborative manner in which they have approached this memorandum of understanding for the benefit of European football as a whole."

ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli added: "I believe that this agreement is an important moment in the history of European football. The MoU places ECA firmly at the heart of UEFA's decision-making process, in a manner which properly reflects clubs’ contribution to the development of the game. In addition, it sets the foundations and structure required to ensure, that together with UEFA, we meet the challenges the game faces to support its continued long-term growth. This can only be achieved through a collaborative and constructive engagement between our two organisations.

I would like to place on record my appreciation for the spirit in which UEFA and specifically its President Aleksander Čeferin have worked with ECA to conclude this agreement, something which I believe sets the tone and bodes well for our long-term cooperation."

This new Memorandum of Understanding builds on the UEFA – ECA letter of intent signed in Brussels in November 2018.

Note to media:

Pictures and a video of the signing ceremony can be downloaded here.