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Creating stability and harmony

The Memorandum of Understanding signed between UEFA and the European Professional Football Leagues will bolster mutual efforts to create stability and harmony.

UEFA President Michel Platini and Sergey Pryadkin, EPFL board member, sign the Memorandum of Understanding
UEFA President Michel Platini and Sergey Pryadkin, EPFL board member, sign the Memorandum of Understanding ©UEFA.com

The mutual efforts to find stability and harmony among Europe’s football stakeholders culminated in UEFA signing a series of Memorandums of Understanding at the recent XXXVI Ordinary UEFA Congress in Istanbul.

Updated memorandums were signed between UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), the association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) and the players’ union FIFPro Division Europe.

The memorandum with the EPFL was signed by UEFA President Michel Platini and EPFL Board of Directors member Sergey Pryadkin, and reinforces the relationship between the two bodies. The Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) was founded in 2005 and is based, like UEFA, in Nyon, Switzerland. Originally composed of 12 members, the EPFL nowadays comprises 30 members and associate members across Europe.

The EPFL also represents the league within the Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC) – alongside UEFA, as well as the ECA, representing the clubs and FIFPro Division Europe, representing the players – in which matters of importance for European professional football are discussed.

UEFA and the EPFL signed previous memorandums in 1998, 2005 and 2009. This new agreement is largely based on the latest agreement. During this period, the two bodies have co-operated successfully on a number of issues related to professional football.

Financial fair play is a key part of this new agreement, and is identified by both organisations as a necessary step to improve the financial situation in European football. The integrity of the game is essential to both organisations, which therefore commit themselves to the promotion of fair play and the fight against racism, doping, violence, match-fixing and corruption in football.

Furthermore, an agreement was found on the international match calendar and the 'status quo plus' proposal with nine double-headers over a two-year period. This proposal has also been endorsed by the other stakeholder groups. Moreover, the memorandum covers a number of other subjects of mutual interest for leagues and UEFA.

"The agreements will give European football the necessary stability for the years to come," said UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino at the Istanbul Congress, "and they illustrate a commitment of all parties involved in European football to work together to improve the game we all love."

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