UEFA, Governance, and the Control of Club Competition in ...

of the European model are embodied within the organisation’s statutory objectives (see Appendix1). The first objective, to ‘deal with all questions relating to European football’ attempts to endowUEFA with wide authority with the aim of consolidating unity within the European game, and theirposition of pre-eminence. The objectives also look to protect the national model of governance bysafeguarding and respecting ‘the overall interests of the member associations’ (UEFA Statutes). Toa certain extent, the objectives are conspicuous by what is not there rather than what is. There is noreference to financial ‘solidarity’ between different levels of the pyramid, no reference to thepyramid itself, nor any reference to the right to participate in a competition through the principle ofpromotion and relegation. These aspects of the European model form a basic part of the raisond’être of UEFA, and help to justify its existence as the organiser of competition beyond the purposeof financial enterprise. Although the absence of statutory reference to these aspects is perhapssurprising, UEFA’s very public pronouncements illustrate that they form a core part of theorganisation’s mission statement in its recent strategy document:UEFA’s core mission is to promote, protect and develop European football at very level of thegame, to promote the principles of unity and solidarity, and to deal with all questions relatingto European football. UEFA is an association of associations, based on representativedemocracy, and is the governing body of European football. Football is the priority ineverything we do. Working closely with our member associations we aim to:• Organise successful competitions for professional, youth, women’s and amateurfootball.• Increase access and participation, without discrimination on grounds of gender,religion or race, and support growth in the grassroots of the game.• Achieve commercial success and sound finances without distorting the sportingqualities of our competitions.• Use UEFA’s revenues to support re-investment and re-distribution in the game inaccordance with the principle of solidarity between all levels and areas of sport.• Target specific aid and assistance to help member associations with the greatest need.• Promote positive sporting values, including fair play and anti-racism, as well as safeand secure match environments.• Run an anti-doping programme aiming at preserving the ethics of sport, safeguardingthe players’ health and ensuring equal chances for all competitors.• Act as a representative voice for the European football family.• Ensure a coherent approach to decision-makers and opinion-formers on issues ofrelevance to European football.• Maintain good relations with other continental football Confederations and FIFA.• Ensure that the needs of the different stakeholders are properly reflected in UEFA’sthinking.These aims should be pursued with an approach based on democracy, solidarity, fairness,transparency, accountability, entrepreneurship, professionalism, pride, and respect for themany stakeholders within European football … UEFA’s goal is to provide leadership but alsotop quality services for all our members and stakeholders. In UEFA we aim to lead, to serve,to continuously improve in all areas and to be ahead in everything that we do. In all that wedo we care about football (UEFA, 2005b: 7)In justifying its control of European competition, UEFA therefore regularly invokes theprinciple of ‘solidarity’ as a guiding organisational principle. Within UEFA there remains a stronglyheld belief that the elite game should continue to make a contribution to supporting other levels ofthe pyramid:13