Fans approve motion for better revenue redistribution in European football at FSE Congress.

Football Supporters Europe (FSE) held its biannual congress on past 20-22 July in Germany, hosted by the fans group of this season’s UEFA Europe League winner Eintracht Frankfurt. On the occasion the Fans’ Groups discussed the future of European club competitions, including the upcoming decisions on the revenue distribution model for which a motion was voted (see below).

During the meeting Ronan Evain and Martin Endemann from FSE and Alberto Colombo from the European Leagues run a workshop on the “Future of European Club Competitions” which was attended by FSE members and fans group from all over Europe. The workshop was the occasion to share with the audience the experience and the role fans and leagues played during the turbulent weeks surrounding the launch and immediate collapse of the European Super League in spring 2021. The panelists had then the opportunity to present the new format, scheduling and access for UCC as from season 2024/25 but also to reiterate some concerns related to the impact this new competition model with an expanded calendar could have on domestic league football.

During the debate, the Fans and the Leagues had also the chance to target the upcoming negotiations and decision on the revenue distribution model for UCC Post 24 as an unique opportunity for European football to restore competitive balance and reduce the growing financial and sporting polarization the football ecosystem has unfortunately experienced during the last decade.

The discussion generated consensus among the participants on the need to increase in a substantial way the share to be allocated to Solidarity for Non-Participating Clubs in UCC and to create a more balanced distribution between the 3 UEFA competitions (in other words to increase the relative share for UEL and UECL participating clubs). Finally it was discussed the ideal target to reach a more equal and fairer distribution within the individual competitions by removing or at least reducing the weight of the historical 10 years-based coefficient as criteria to redistribute revenues). All these measures are aimed to protect the competitive balance of league competitions and safeguard the ambition of fans groups across Europe to reach sporting success with their respective clubs.

At the end of the Congress on Saturday 23 July, FSE Congress approved a motion for a fairer revenue distribution model in Europe:

“Congress notes that UEFA has recently announced a new and expanded club competition structure from 2024/25. This new structure will see an expanded number of games played in all three of the competition formats. This will see an increase in central and club revenues from activities such as ticket sales, commercial exploitation and broadcast rights.

Congress also notes and welcomes the existing FSE policy document that has a central aim of promoting revenue distributions that ensure competitive balance across a wide number of competing clubs from many different national leagues so that football does not go even further in being dominated by just a few clubs. There is a real danger that without fair redistribution policies the European competitions will become a closed shop.

Congress calls upon the FSE executive to continue their work to secure a more balanced redistribution model from UEFA later this year through further liaison with UEFA and other key stakeholders such as the European leagues.

The aim should be to secure a future of European football that is for the many not the few”.

The motion was endorsed by FSE Congress and was initially promoted by Fans’ Groups such as Arsenal Supporters Trust, Manchester United Supporters Trust, Spirit of Shankly, West Ham Supporters Trust and Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust.

The European Leagues and their affiliated clubs will continue to work constructively with FSE and their Fans groups at domestic level to ensure there is a balance between European and domestic football that can help the game at all level to thrive.