Soccer

Al-Khelaifi Calls for Global Club Football Body in Copenhagen

By Hugo Brennan

Al-Khelaifi Calls for Global Club Football Body in Copenhagen

In Copenhagen, where Europe’s leading clubs have gathered for the 33rd assembly of European Football Clubs, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has called for a body representing clubs from every continent.

A proposal from Copenhagen

  1. Al-Khelaifi, who also chairs European Football Clubs, the organisation formerly known as the European Club Association, opened the meeting on Tuesday by arguing that football needs a worldwide club grouping without delay.
  2. He said the European organisation had created benefits for clubs both inside and beyond Europe, adding: “Now is the time to create World Football Clubs, because global football needs it and it must happen as quickly as possible.”
  3. No further detail was given on the proposed structure, membership or remit of the new organisation.

The proposal comes with European clubs continuing to wield considerable influence over the international calendar and player market. Al-Khelaifi noted that 857 footballers at last summer’s World Cup were registered with European clubs, a number he said represented the equivalent of 33 of the 48 national squads at the tournament.

Call for greater cooperation

Without naming FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly, Al-Khelaifi also addressed the recent dispute surrounding plans to bring private investment into the commercialisation of FIFA competitions. That project was subsequently halted after broad criticism across the game.

“It is really sad to see the present situation,” Al-Khelaifi said. “We are wasting time on problems and issues. Football works when we listen to each other and when there is transparency between us.”

Changes inside European Football Clubs

  1. Al-Khelaifi announced a change to the way EFC will operate.
  2. He said every club would have both “a vote and a voice” within the organisation’s board structure.
  3. He projected that EFC would generate more than €20 billion over the next four years, describing the figure as a record for football.
  4. Approximately €2 billion of that total is intended for solidarity mechanisms, youth football and the women’s game.