Fan groups head to Nyon

UEFA is inviting a number of national supporters' groups to its Swiss headquarters on Tuesday for discussions on issues of mutual interest, as part of the European body's wish to pursue a closer dialogue with football fans.

First such gathering
The meeting in Nyon is the first such gathering of its type, as UEFA constantly strives to improve its understanding of, and its relationship with the different families (or stakeholders) in European football. uefa.com will make a presentation as part of the meeting.

Links with fans
As far as links with supporters are concerned, UEFA regularly works with fan groups at major events, such as EURO final tournaments and club competition finals. However, as yet, no supporter organisation exists on a European level, which means UEFA has no natural interlocutor in this respect. This is one of the matters that will be discussed at the meeting.

Discussion items
Other topics on the agenda will be UEFA EURO 2008™ and international matches, UEFA club competitions, ownership and participation in clubs, security, violence and discrimination. The meeting will also discuss the progress of the study being undertaken by UEFA and Supporters Direct regarding the feasibility of extending the Supporters Direct model across Europe - whereby groups of supporters participate in the decision-making of their clubs.