Deadline for fan feedback

Football fans and other stakeholders have until next Wednesday to provide input for the high-level independent review of European football that is currently in progress.

Arnaut chairman
The review is being chaired by José Luis Arnaut, a former senior minister within the Portuguese government, and was officially launched by Mr Arnault, United Kingdom sports minister Richard Caborn and UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson. The review also has a special website – www.independentfootballreview.com – in which football fans and interested bodies are entitled to make their contributions to the debate.

Important contributions
“As part of this review process, it is important that all stakeholders, including the fans, provide their contributions,” said UEFA on Tuesday. “The deadlines for their input are approaching: 13 March for comments in writing to the email address comments@independentfootballreview.com and 15 March for their registration (consultation@independentfootballreview.com) for the public hearing to take place in Brussels on 29 March.”

UK initiated
This review, initiated last year by the UK sports minister Richard Caborn under the auspices of the UK Presidency of the European Union, will focus in particular on how the European football authorities, European Union (EU) institutions and member states can best implement the 2000 Nice Declaration on the specific characteristics of sport at a European and national level. In the declaration, European governments call on European Union member nations to take account of sport’s social, educational and cultural functions.

Variety of issues
Legal, political and financial experts will report, among other things, on the central role of the football authorities to govern football in harmony with the EU institutions and member states; ownership/control and management of clubs; and levels of expenditure on players, considering the financial stability or instability and concentration of wealth among clubs at both international and national level.

Agents' activities
The review will also examine how the football authorities oversee the activities of agents in player contract and transfer activities; revenue distribution within European football; how the game can be protected against match-fixing and corruption, and the role of the EU institutions, member states and football authorities in supporting and encouraging investment in football.

Beginning of June
World football’s governing body FIFA and European sports ministers will be involved in an advisory role. Conclusions and recommendations will be presented to UEFA, the European Commission and sports ministers across Europe, with a report scheduled for issue at the beginning of June.

Openness and transparency
“The openness and transparency of the review is aimed at helping deliver workable solutions that football authorities, EU institutions and member states can adopt across Europe, to maximise its contribution to the sporting and social infrastructure in Europe,” UEFA concluded.