By Paul Nicholson
February 10 – European Club Association (ECA) chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi (pictured) has written to the 240+ members saying that the new three-year commercial deal agreed with TEAM Marketing and Relevent Sports Group is a watershed moment for the association.
The three-year deal (2024/27) announced this week for media and commercial representation rights to all of UEFA’s club competitions – including Champions League, Europa League and the Conference League – is expected to see a revenue uplift in the 3-year cycle to $5.5 billion, from $3.6 billion.
For the first time the ECA were involved in working with UEFA on the awards of the rights, which Al-Khelaifi said represents “much more than the result of a tender process. It represents a tectonic shift in the role that clubs now play – thanks to ECA and in partnership with UEFA – in the decisions that shape European football.”
Following the failed Super League debacle at the end of the year, and driven by a ‘dirty’ dozen of clubs who were chasing an increased revenue distribution from a breakaway league (Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid, Walter Mitty-like, still seem to be pursuing the dream), the ECA at its September General Assembly made strengthening of a more transparent and collaborative relationship a priority.
The new commercial representation deal is the first real example of the new politic.
Al-Khelaifi said it marks “a new dawn of financial stability and opportunity for European football clubs as the way in which our club competitions are commercialised will be transformed.”
“Thanks to clubs being equal partners with UEFA in this process, we will maximize our collective value and reduce our collective costs. We have gone a long way to securing financial stability and sustainability, while introducing new ideas, influences, cultures and innovations. ECA and UEFA have achieved more together than we would ever achieve apart – and the entirety of European football is stronger as a result,” continued Al-Khelaifi.
It could also mark the start of the end of TEAM Marketing’s long term stranglehold of European club rights. The agency, as part of its mandate and agreement with UEFA, only sells UEFA’s club rights and was responsible for the reinvention of UEFA’s club competitions. It started selling Champions League in 1991and renewed rights on long term agreements -UEFA has representation on TEAM’s board.
The latest renewal not only sees rights shared with a new agency (though only for media sales in the US), it is also just for one term, suggesting that following the next rights tender there could be an even further break up of rights representation – one of the key issues for the breakaway Super League clubs who felt they were being undervalued under the old TEAM arrangements.
While the new commercial deal is the headline news for clubs, Al-Khelaifi emphasises that other crucial work is on-going, including “the launch of the major new recovery fund to debates around the international match calendar and the future landscape for women’s and men’s club competitions”. All major issues that shape the game.
“I am proud that ECA is now positioned in its rightful place as a central voice shaping the future of European football,” said Al-Khelaifi. The reality is that the ECA always had a central role, it just had a rogue president who in the end abused his position to only act in the interests of an elite few. ECA members will hope that the Al-Khelaifi, who is a Qatari, runs PSG and heads the beIN Sport Media group, doesn’t become that guy.
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