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

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coming to play an increasingly influential and aggressive role. I will argue that even in acomplicated environment increasingly characterised by strong commercial pressures, that thetraditional organs of football governance, including UEFA in the European domain, are asimportant and critical to the ‘good governance’ of the game as ever. Throughout the report,particular focus is placed on the structure and control of competition in Europe. It is through thiskey aspect of the European game that issues of ‘governance’ are most easily identified. Control ofthe resources and structures of European club competition play a key role in the achievement of theorganisational objectives of UEFA, such as promoting development, unity, solidarity, sportingoutcomes and effective regulation within the game.In section one, the report will address the changing nature of ‘governance’, analysingtransitions in organisations from government directly and unilaterally, to a dispersion of decisionmakinginfluence through ‘networks’. Attention will also be drawn to the connection between the‘system’ of governance that characterises an organisational environment, and outcomes – namely‘normative’ or ‘good governance’. That means that the location of decision-making authorityinevitably impacts on the success of an organisation in achieving both its own objectives, and alsopromoting what have been identified as key elements of what constitutes good governance. In thesporting context, particular attention will be paid to what has become known as the ‘Europeanmodel of sport’ and the inherent value and necessity of organising football within that framework.The role of football’s traditional governing bodies – the national associations – will be analysed andcontextualised. Specifically, we look at how the organisational structure of UEFA represents thetheoretical model of sport, focussing on the hierarchy of governance in football (with the historicalcontrol of the national associations), but also looking at how UEFA’s structures will need to adaptand change to wider transitions.Following this theoretical discussion, in section two will then concentrate on the keydevelopments in European football since the formation of UEFA in 1954. This section willhighlight in particular developments in the professional club game that have placed the existingstructures of governance under pressure. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of changes inbroadcasting technology, the changing political-economy of post-war Europe, the growth ofcommercialisation within the game and the changing behaviour and objectives of clubs. Throughthis discussion one can best identify how political power has shifted and placed the existing modelof governance and control under pressure. Analysis will then focus on some of the key debatesevident in European professional football today, namely the composition of competition, changinglevels of competitive balance, policy proposals for change, the viability of the current structures ofclub competition, and the importance of maintaining a coherent philosophical framework whenaddressing potential change.In section three, analysis will focus on the UEFA’s position within its environment. Withreference to the influence of organisations operating within a stakeholder network, assessment willbe made of political authority of UEFA in relation to the respective relevant stakeholders, and inrelation to some of the specific challenges faced. Three specific organisational challenges willanalysed. These include the growing role of the European Union (EU) in policy making in sport,how decisions taken by the institutions of the EU impact on the ability of UEFA to governeffectively, how UEFA has sought to meet the political challenges posed by EU intervention, andhow it might best address such challenges in the future. The role of professional footballers and theplayers’ unions will be analysed alongside the EU, given that the very specific challenges posed byplayers are most readily contested in arena of the free market provisions of European law. The mostobvious example of this is, of course, the Bosman ruling made by the European Court of Justice.Attention will then focus on the major ‘internal’ stakeholders, that is, those stakeholders operatingwithin the European football industry. Specifically, we will address the challenges posed by theelite leagues and clubs of Europe specifically in relation to the control of club competition and theresponse of UEFA to stakeholder demands will be critically analysed.Having evaluated the political balance of power in the European game, attention will thenturn in section four to how UEFA might best address some of the challenges it faces at the2
eginning of the twenty-first century. This includes: sporting challenges (essentially how togenerate a greater degree of competitive balance in both domestic and international competition);regulatory challenges, that is how best to utilise regulation as a means of consolidating control andalso achieving sporting objectives; and governance challenges, that is how best to adapt thegovernance procedures of UEFA to meet the challenges posed by clubs and leagues, and retain thecontrol necessary to protect an drive forward the ‘European Model of Sport’ in a changing era.3
Page 1 and 2: ISSN: 1756-8811UEFA, Governance, an
Page 3 and 4: ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductio
Page 5: AcknowledgementsThis project could
Page 10 and 11: Section 1:Chapter 1.Theoretical per
Page 12 and 13: So the ‘good governance’ of spo
Page 14 and 15: Table 1: Theories of governanceTheo
Page 16 and 17: the focal organisation will adopt a
Page 18 and 19: different levels of the national ga
Page 20 and 21: I think European sports are based o
Page 22 and 23: The clubs, as the common denominato
Page 24 and 25: mechanisms: committees, expert pane
Page 26 and 27: It is a far cry from the simple the
Page 28 and 29: intention of formulating a continen
Page 30 and 31: eceived from the sale of broadcasti
Page 32 and 33: institutions of Europe. Much of the
Page 34 and 35: 2001: 438). However, whilst noting
Page 36 and 37: Beckham’s progress for Real Madri
Page 38 and 39: which UEFA itself was one of number
Page 40 and 41: Table 2: Champions League market po
Page 42 and 43: opportunity provided by Media Partn
Page 44 and 45: For Hecht, the surprise was the clu
Page 46 and 47: competition (Hamil et al, 1999; Ham
Page 48 and 49: So to cut off revenues from bigger
Page 50 and 51: clubs in question, their different
Page 52 and 53: organised. 20 Analysis has correctl
Page 54 and 55: Radnedge, commenting on the role of
Page 56 and 57: would resolve these problematic iss
Page 58 and 59:
for a programme which includes show
Page 60 and 61:
literature. It is the contention he
Page 62 and 63:
Section 3:The stakeholder challenge
Page 64 and 65:
coalition there are ‘maximalists
Page 66 and 67:
League, rather than being drawn ent
Page 68 and 69:
egulatory authorities will take the
Page 70 and 71:
iii. The ‘specificity’ of sport
Page 72 and 73:
worry very greatly that once it’s
Page 74 and 75:
consideration for the ‘specificit
Page 76 and 77:
and should be extended. The startin
Page 78 and 79:
The governing bodies’ failure to
Page 80 and 81:
in 2000 and this is reflected in th
Page 82 and 83:
up whether it’s a meaningful prop
Page 84 and 85:
Europe, other scenarios can be envi
Page 86 and 87:
possibility of breakaway competitio
Page 88 and 89:
With regard to the governance of UE
Page 90 and 91:
Will’s contention that policy has
Page 92 and 93:
management. The strength of this re
Page 94 and 95:
exclusively consultative rather tha
Page 96 and 97:
iv. The elite clubs and the G14When
Page 98 and 99:
structure of the International Foot
Page 100 and 101:
A lot of people think G14 is a supe
Page 102 and 103:
at the same time, the truism that c
Page 104 and 105:
to build on it. In the three years,
Page 106 and 107:
the homegrown players … you hear
Page 108 and 109:
It is very important for profession
Page 110 and 111:
Thus it may be that co-operation wi
Page 112 and 113:
domestic football to influence the
Page 114 and 115:
with a four year maximum term (Darb
Page 116 and 117:
articulated elsewhere (Sugden and T
Page 118 and 119:
UEFA’s day-to-day involvement in
Page 120 and 121:
good, I think it will be a hugely s
Page 122 and 123:
diverging from those of a different
Page 124 and 125:
It is likely that these bodies will
Page 126 and 127:
The corporatisation of UEFA structu
Page 128 and 129:
Chapter 7.UEFA and the structure of
Page 130 and 131:
pressure. According to Moorhouse:
Page 132 and 133:
Either way, the primacy of the nati
Page 134 and 135:
extend beyond unpredictability. It
Page 136 and 137:
iii. A two-tier Europe? Standards v
Page 138 and 139:
problem with the present system was
Page 140 and 141:
would be delighted by the demotion.
Page 142 and 143:
football, and their role in the ove
Page 144 and 145:
in European football. Does European
Page 146 and 147:
the necessary connection of the sta
Page 148 and 149:
Super Cup should have a role in dec
Page 150 and 151:
ii. A two-pillared UEFA? The nation
Page 152 and 153:
an association level so you don’t
Page 154 and 155:
football they do not adequately rep
Page 156 and 157:
therefore have a greater say in cal
Page 158 and 159:
merits, there are also implicit dan
Page 160 and 161:
protect the rights of less affluent
Page 162 and 163:
elative input of the executive comm
Page 164 and 165:
levels - thus ensuring solidarity a
Page 166 and 167:
ii. Regulating the clubs: UEFA Club
Page 168 and 169:
‘European financial control commi
Page 170 and 171:
maximise the impact of this regulat
Page 172 and 173:
The growth of UEFA has posed new pr
Page 174 and 175:
Using this control of competition a
Page 176 and 177:
Appendix 2:UEFA Champions League re
Page 178 and 179:
Appendix 4:Club Competitions Commit
Page 180 and 181:
6. The UEFA secretariat shall be re
Page 182 and 183:
• to gather and exchange informat
Page 184 and 185:
BibliographyAgnew, P. (2005), ‘Dr
Page 186 and 187:
The Combined Code on Corporate Gove
Page 188 and 189:
Galaskiewicz, J. and Wasserman, S.
Page 190 and 191:
Kurth, T. (2004), ‘Message from T
Page 192 and 193:
Pierre, J. and Peters, B. G. (2000)
Page 194 and 195:
UEFA (2003c) Creating a Better Futu
Page 196 and 197:
Reding, V. (2002) ‘Sport and Tele
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