New ground rules for football

By Adam Szreter

At the end of this month, four days after the UEFA Champions League final, the people of France will vote on whether to ratify a treaty that could establish a Constitution for Europe for the very first time. You could be forgiven for wondering what this has to do with football, but for the first time in European Union history an article dedicated to sport appears in the basic treaty.

Important development
If the treaty is ratified, Article 282 would allow the EU to propose new legislation that would promote the social and educational function of sport and, perhaps more importantly, enable it to spend money on worthwhile causes such as the battles against doping and racism, as well as grassroots coaching and facilities.

Specific nature
At the professional level it would recognise the specific nature of sport, something for which UEFA has campaigned hard, and the fact that it is a unique social sphere which differs fundamentally from normal economic activity: while most businesses would be happy to see their competitors sink without trace, sporting ones would soon be redundant with no one to play against.

Central role
Should this new regime for European sport come to pass - and for it to do so the treaty would need the backing of all 25 member states - inheriting the power would be 45-year-old Slovakian Ján Figel, the Member of the European Commission responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, an area that also covers sport, youth and relations with civil society.

Passionate speech
A science graduate with no obvious sporting pedigree, Figel nevertheless spoke passionately in Bratislava at the recent conference of the Football Against Racism in Europe network. "If the article became legally binding it means we underline the importance of sport for the European Union - that it has a strong value for the physical and moral integrity of individuals in society," he told uefa.com.

Cultural content
“The case of sport reminds me a little of that of culture. Cultural co-operation came to the union after the Maastricht Treaty - before that it was taboo, not part of treaties. But now there are calls for ten times more cultural content and financial support, and culture is now part of the political and international future of Europe. A ratified constitution will bring more opportunities and we should prepare for it.”

Doping issue
Doping is an issue to which Figel became particularly sensitive almost as soon as he took office, when he was assailed by Olympic medal winners imploring him to do everything within his remit to make sure the credibility of their victories was in no way tarnished. It is also an issue which football has had to take more and more seriously. "Doping is cancer for sport, and for societies at large," said Figel.

Dynamic response
"It's not only a question for the professional level but also for amateurs, for grassroots fitness centres where there are more and more advertisements and use of different substances," he added. "There are so many obstacles to united action, with national differences on doping policies, but awareness of the problem and pressure for some credible action is growing, and on behalf of the commission I am willing to contribute. We should be dynamic in this area, sooner rather than later."

Racism conference
Figel was equally eloquent when summarising his feelings on the anti-racism conference he had just addressed, underlining football's role as a tool of social integration. "I welcome the fact that such a huge network of participants from 38 countries are meeting on a specific topic which is very important for the community of today and tomorrow," he said.

European values
He concluded: "Sport plays an increasing role in society, and in international relations, and via more intensive sport co-operation I think we can achieve a better climate and better understanding and support for the basic values on which the European Union is based: humanity, solidarity, non-discrimination, the rule of law and justice."