UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin revealed he will hold talks with Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore after accusing some leagues of attempting to "blackmail" UEFA over its Champions League reforms, according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. Čeferin "refused to confirm or deny" the Premier League was one of the competitions he said were seeking to "impose their will on the associations because they think they are all-powerful on account of the astronomical revenues they generate." But Čeferin said that he "did not like top-flight English matches being scheduled on Champions League nights," as the Premier League claimed it had been forced to do when Man City played Stoke City last month at the same time as Barcelona's "historic comeback" against Paris St. Germain. The Premier League is "one of the leading members" of the European Professional Football Leagues, which "tore up a memorandum of understanding" with UEFA three weeks ago that prevented domestic games from being scheduled on Champions League evenings (TELEGRAPH, 4/5). REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported Čeferin told Europe's top football clubs that "money does not rule." European football faces a "huge disparity" between the top leagues and the smallest ones, "which struggle with poor revenues, falling attendances and financial difficulties." Čeferin promised to distribute €1M ($1.07M) to each of UEFA's 55 member associations as a "solidarity payment" following "strong financial results" from national team competitions such as Euro 2016. Čeferin said, "UEFA is not here to accumulate wealth while (football associations) struggle to develop football in the furthest reaches of (their) territories" (REUTERS, 4/5).
'NO CLOSED LEAGUE': The London GUARDIAN reported Čeferin accused "some leagues" of trying to hold UEFA to ransom and "some clubs" of agitating for a closed super league. Čeferin said, "To some clubs, I shall say it calmly and dispassionately, but firmly and resolutely: there will be no closed league. Quite simply, that is not in line with our values and ideals. We will never give in to the blackmail of those who think they can manipulate small leagues" (GUARDIAN, 4/5). The BBC reported Čeferin, who promised to "revamp the game over the next five years," said that UEFA would discuss the long-term "strategic vision" with clubs, leagues and players, adding that they "are not our enemies." Čeferin said, "This five-year plan will not be forced on you, it will not come out of the blue, as may have happened in the past" (BBC, 4/5). The AP reported Čeferin also said that UEFA was "considering action on sexual abuse in youth football after numerous accusations" in the U.K. over recent months. Čeferin said, "We cannot shut our eyes. The solutions we are exploring include a charter, the establishment of records, training and education for players and coaches, legal aid for victims and lobbying the European institutions regarding statutes of limitation" (AP, 4/5).
TERM LIMITS: Homewood also reported UEFA "approved term limits for its top officials," including its president, and agreed that venues for club competition finals should be chosen by a "transparent" process. The UEFA president and members of the exec committee will be able to serve a maximum of three four-year terms. Previously, there was no limit on how long they could hold office. UEFA's 55 member associations unanimously voted for the change at their annual Congress in Helsinki, Finland. They also agreed that officials could only be elected to the exec committee if they held an "active office" with their country's FA (REUTERS, 4/5).
GILL RE-ELECTED: FA Vice-Chair David Gill has been re-elected as a UEFA exec committee member. Gill will represent the FA on the committee for another four years (FA).
