GENEVA (AP) — A proposal to share hundreds of millions of euros in UEFA prize money among low-ranked soccer clubs that developed future star players was made by a European group representing them on Monday.
The Union of European Clubs wants to help close the growing wealth gap in soccer if UEFA would allocate at least 5% of broadcast and commercial revenue from the Champions League and other competitions to clubs that did not take part yet nurtured those players early in their careers.
Gross revenue this season for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League is at least 4.4 billion euros ($4.88 billion) and 5% would be 220 million euros ($244 million).
Only clubs which did not advance to play in the league phase of the three competitions would be eligible for payments, the UEC said in a statement.
The idea is “a pragmatic, merit-based approach to restoring fairness and balance in the football ecosystem,” said the 140-member group, which estimated its idea could have earned at least 100,000 euros ($111,000) to each of 400 clubs across Europe in recent years.
The UEC said “the core principle is clear — clubs that invest in player development should be fairly rewarded when those players contribute to the success of European competitions.”
It is unclear why UEFA and the influential European Club Association — which has a key say over commercial and sporting decisions in the Champions League — would agree to a proposal from a non-recognized group effectively taking money from its members.
The ECA, led by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi, has a working agreement with UEFA that recognizes the group “as the sole body representing the interests of European clubs at European and global level.”
The ECA, based near UEFA in Nyon, Switzerland, was approached for comment.
Who is the Union of European Clubs?
The UEC was formally launched in 2023 by officials who saw the ECA as too focused on representing a storied and wealthy group of elite clubs. Before al-Khelaifi, the ECA was led since 2008 by Bayern Munich’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Juventus’ Andrea Agnelli, who used the platform to launch the failed Super League project in 2021.
Current UEC members include Belgian league leader Union Saint-Gilloise, which is on track to play in the Champions League for the first time, and Burnley, which returns to the Premier League next season.
Its proposal, called the player development reward, was shared with European Union officials in Brussels, the UEC said in a statement.
EU institutions such as the European Commission and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg are increasingly seen as the most effective way to force change in how soccer is run by international bodies like FIFA and UEFA.
The formula to calculate payments, the UEC said would be “based on the minutes played in UEFA competitions and prize money earned by players they have trained and developed.”
“This policy has the potential to deliver meaningful, long-term financial recognition and reward to clubs that fuel the professional game by developing its talent.”
UEFA prize money totals
This season, UEFA will pay about 2.5 billion euros ($2.78 billion) to the 36 teams playing in the Champions League, 565 million euros ($628 million) among the 36 Europa League teams and 285 million euros ($317 million) among 32 teams in the third-tier Conference League.
UEFA sends a further 308 million euros ($342 million) — 7% of gross competition revenue — as solidarity payments shared among hundreds of clubs across Europe who do not qualify for UEFA competitions.
UEFA acknowledged the proposal on Monday and said the “matter will be raised when the time is due.”
The current system of solidarity payments is set until 2027 when a new cycle of broadcasting and sponsorship deals begins.
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