FootBiz newsletter #113: The ECA's rebrand, UEFA's internal conflict and FIFA's plan for summer football
Infantino and Ceferin took to the podium and we've got M&A Murmurs
RIP then to the European Clubs Association. The rebranded heir to the G14, a lobbying group for the 14 most powerful clubs in Europe, its fundamental mission has not really changed — though the composition of the elite has a little since its original founding.
The ECA has cast aside its previous name and rebranded once again, this time as European Football Clubs, and the EFC’s huge party to celebrate its rebranding was, fittingly, hosted by Everton Football Club’s (EFC) new owner Dan Friedkin. The Roma and Everton boss was among a huge group of club owners who met in the Italian capital to watch a live podcast from Gary Neville, speeches from luminaries like Gianni Infantino, and generally hobnob with executives and a raft of famous former players paid to attend and smile for selfies. One source has claimed the shindig cost as much as €7m to put on.
It was a meeting “where only a few decide how the billions of euros they earn are carved up” per Sam Wallace of the Telegraph, whose column last week laid bare the depressing realities of European football governance. Coming out of the summit, it appears the likes of Benfica, Celtic and Club Brugge still appear willing to sign up for smaller pieces of the bigger pie if it means that they, in turn, can pull away from Moreirense, Falkirk and Westerlo.
The big news to come out of the meeting beyond the rebrand was a change in how Champions League rights will be marketed, with the new UC3 joint venture between UEFA and Relevent set to reshape the competition with inspiration from the American major leagues and an eye on streaming. That remodel will include an annual standalone ‘kick-off’ game which the Champions League holders would host the season opener, as in the NFL. Aleksander Ceferin and Gianni Infantino both tutted loudly at domestic games being played non-domestically, though Infantino then said everyone should be more “open-minded” about letting FIFA rearrange global football to accommodate their increasing range and size of competitions.
We’ve got more from football’s Blofeld below, as well as a chunky M&A Murmurs, talk of an investment process being run by the WSL, Adrien Rabiot pissing off the right people for once and more.
So that’s enough babbling for now.
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