European Commission gives strong backing to UEFA and the European football model

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and EU Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef today renewed the UEFA-European Commission Arrangement for Cooperation at the House of European Football in Nyon, marking a significant endorsement of UEFA’s role in football and the principles that have made the European game a global success.

The agreement recognises UEFA as the sole responsible European governing body and backs a unified, open football system built on sporting merit, promotion and relegation, and a clear pathway from domestic to European competitions. It also reaffirms the principle that domestic league matches should be played in their home territory, preserving the connection between clubs, their communities and supporters.

The agreement gives particular recognition to national-team football, highlighting the men’s and women’s UEFA EURO as celebrations of European unity and essential sources of solidarity and sustainable funding for the game. It also underlines the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between club and national-team competitions in the international match calendar.

The Commission also backs UEFA’s representative and inclusive governance, with leagues, clubs, players and supporters involved in shaping the game’s future. The agreement emphasises financial redistribution across the pyramid, while extending cooperation on women’s football, inclusion, healthy lifestyles and football’s wider contribution to European society.

The agreement recognises UEFA as the sole responsible European governing body and backs a unified, open football system built on sporting merit, promotion and relegation, and a clear pathway from domestic to European competitions.UEFA

Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President, said: “Football in Europe has achieved extraordinary sporting and commercial success without abandoning its roots. A place in a competition is earned on the pitch. The strongest parts of the game contribute to those below them. Clubs and national teams mutually reinforce one another. And nobody owns football simply because they happen to govern it. Recent events in global football have shown why these principles matter. I am grateful to Commissioner Micallef and the European Commission for recognising this and standing firmly with UEFA.”

Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, said: “Football is an essential part of Europe’s sporting and social fabric, and I am proud to sign this agreement today with the UEFA President. Together with the Commission’s forthcoming strategy to reinforce the European Sport Model, it reaffirms our support for open competitions, strong national-team football and inclusive governance. Recent failures in global football governance make this partnership all the more important. Alongside UEFA the Commission stands for protecting the values and structures that have made European football a leading European success story.”

The renewed Arrangement for Cooperation will remain in force until 31 December 2029. The full text is available here.