Transfers and fixture lists – what the football elite in Athens talked about

The transfer system and fixture list were high on the agenda at the European Club Association General Assembly in Athens this week.

High-ranking representatives from almost all of Europe’s largest football clubs were present.

Among the Premier League players were Tottenham chief executive Daniel Levy, Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano and Manchester United counterpart Jean-Claude Blanc, as well as Newcastle’s Darren Eales, despite his recent battle with cancer was.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also President of Paris St-Germain, worked closely together to confirm that their organizations’ joint partnership will be extended until 2033.

But as with any conference of this nature, what is most important is what is discussed behind closed doors.

Two issues were central to this general meeting: the crowded fixture list, which Ceferin addressed in his keynote speech, and the recent court decision surrounding former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra.

“No desire for editing games or structures”

Although Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango and World League general secretary Jerome Perlemuter spoke passionately on the sidelines about their opposition to the current expansion program and the impending legal battle, the biggest noise came about Ceferin, Al-Khelaifi and Bayern’s chief executive Munich Jan-Christian Dreesen, who took a harder line with Rodri’s suggestion of a possible attack.

They also all agreed that despite the introduction of expanded competitions, there was no room for more games and player welfare was a concern.

However, ECA chief executive Charlie Marshall pointed out that there was no interest in “cutting games and structures”. The talks would continue, he said.

Marshall didn’t say this himself, but the ECA will play a central role in this.

“Any change to the transfer system affects smaller clubs”

Last week’s Diarra ruling found that some of FIFA’s transfer rules restricted the “freedom of movement” of players in certain circumstances and needed to be redrafted.

Most people at the ECA event want to digest the court ruling and its significance before making a public statement.

Some conference participants predicted the end of the transfer system as we know it.

Someone else said that signing contracts could become a court matter rather than involving FIFA.

Everyone agreed that any significant change would be bad news for small and medium-sized clubs that rely on transfer income as their main source of income, and that while the elite players could benefit, many further down the food chain would be negatively affected.

“It is worrying that some people are starting to interpret this case this way,” said Legia Warsaw President Dariusz Mioduski. “If it were true, it would be a terrible thing for the entire ecosystem.”

“We don’t think it will have the impact that some people think it will. It’s still early and we have to assess it, but we don’t see any reason to panic.”

The Super League rebel Juventus is back

The ECA, launched in 2008 with 137 members, had grown in power and influence before the concept of the European Super League emerged in April 2021. Its chairman at the time was Andrea Agnelli, who also headed Juventus.

When Agnelli and the other eleven clubs tried to start the Super League on that fateful Sunday, UEFA would have been in big trouble if the other key ECA voices – especially PSG and the German clubs – hadn’t stepped up.

But PSG stayed. So do Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Al-Khelaifi took over the post of ECA chairman from Agnelli and calmly extinguished the inferno caused by the Super League project.

He helped lead the ECA through an exceptionally difficult period.

The ECA’s membership has grown to over 700. She is now considered the clubs’ sole negotiating voice. And, as Al-Khelaifi emphasized in the final press conference, the clubs have the players as “assets”.

Without their support nothing works.

For this reason, FIFA had to seek the support of the ECA before starting the Club World Cup.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri may be among the top players unhappy with the 32-team postseason tournament, but Soriano is part of the ECA board. At the administrative level, the city has given its approval.

At this special meeting, Juventus, one of the three remaining underdogs in the Super League alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, was welcomed back into the team.