Governments urged to support football on betting

The Professional Football Strategy Council meeting in Nyon today agreed a united position regarding the issue of betting.

In particular, the Professional Football Strategy Council:

• resolves to further strengthen joint efforts to prevent and combat match-fixing, in line with the resolution against match-fixing adopted by the Professional Football Strategy Council in Monaco on 27 August 2010
 
• recalls that financial solidarity depends on redistribution of revenue from the commercial exploitation of top professional football to the grassroots
 
• expresses concern at the growing unauthorised commercial use of football competitions for betting purposes
 
• considers that competition organisers/clubs should have the right, including intellectual property right, to consent to their events being used by betting companies and that such companies should pay fair financial compensation
 
• recalls that such financial compensation is also essential for funding grassroots football as well as fighting match-fixing and sports fraud
 
• in line with recent initiatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe and certain national authorities, urges political authorities to adopt concrete national and/or European-wide legislation to address these matters and to ensure a fair financial return to football

The Professional Football Strategy Council comprises elected representatives of the four main stakeholder groups involved in European professional football: the clubs, via the European Club Association (ECA); the leagues, via the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL); the players, via FIFPro Division Europe; and UEFA, as the football governing body at European level. The body discusses issues of strategic importance for professional football in Europe and advises the UEFA Executive Committee accordingly.