September 8 – The European Club Association and its chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi have insisted there are no plans to grant Saudi Arabian club sides access to the reformatted Champions League.
At a news conference in Berlin after the ECA’s general assembly, Al-Khelaifi said: “It is very, very difficult. Today we are trying to let more European clubs participate in European competition. The smaller and medium clubs want that. I don’t see there are other clubs coming from outside to Europe. I don’t know what is going to happen in a few years but today I don’t see that anyone from outside will play here.”
Al-Khelaifi however did not rule out that smaller showpiece matches might provide a window of opportunity.
He added: “If there is a Super Cup or something, why not? But to play in Europe in a competition, if you are not a European [club] … I do not see [it].”
With the Saudi Pro League spending close to around $1 billion in the summer transfer window, the idea of Saudi clubs featuring in Europe’s premier club competition has gained some traction with the Champions League moving to a Swiss system of 36 clubs next season. Saudi Arabia’s growing influence and financial resources were a fervent topic of debate in the German capital.
“Most of the clubs sold their players to them so if we are not happy why do we sell our players to them?” he said. “Is it dangerous? If you ask the clubs some of them say yes, some of them say no, some of them happy, some of them unhappy. If there is danger the European clubs will not be quiet. So far, I don’t see any danger.”
His words echoed the sentiments of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who has previously batted off the suggestion that the Saudi Pro League is a threat to European football. The PSG president as well as the UEFA boss very much want to keep focussing on European football.
The Qatari was re-elected to lead the ECA for another term, with Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano gaining a seat on the board as well as Martina Pavlova of Sparta Prague and the Olympique Lyon Féminin owner Michele Kang. Josh Wander, the co-founder of the controversial US investment group 777 Partners, was perhaps the most eye-catching board appointment, giving a greater future voice to owners and backers of the multiple club ownership model.
On Wednesday, the ECA announced a new model for solidarity payments for clubs who do progress to the main draw of Europe’s club competitions, but that might not be enough to stem some of the discontent among smaller clubs who feel underrepresented at the ECA.
The association have expelled Union St Gilloise after the Belgian club signed up with the nascent Union of European Clubs (UEC), a new body that seeks to promote the interest of smaller and medium-sized clubs across the continent.
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