DF CORPORATE

Uefa.com has reported that the Professional Football Strategy Council has agreed on a resolution to request governmental support on betting.

The council resolved to further strengthen joint efforts to prevent and combat match-fixing, in line with the resolution against match-fixing adopted by the Professional Football Strategy Council in Monaco on 27 August 2010.

The council stresses that financial solidarity depends on redistribution of revenue from the commercial exploitation of top professional football to the grassroots.

The council expressed concern at the growing unauthorised commercial use of football competitions for betting purposes and proposed that competition organisers/clubs should have the right, including intellectual property right, to consent to their events being used by betting companies and that such companies should pay fair financial compensation. The council pointed out that such financial compensation would provide the means for funding grassroots football as well as fighting match-fixing and sports fraud.

Further to recent initiatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe and certain national authorities, The Professional Football Strategy Council is urging political authorities to adopt concrete national and/or European-wide legislation to address these matters and to ensure a fair financial return to football.

The Professional Football Strategy Council comprises elected representatives of the four main stakeholder groups involved in European professional football: the clubs, via the European Club Association (ECA); the leagues, via the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL); the players, via FIFPro Division Europe; and UEFA, as the football governing body at European level. The body discusses issues of strategic importance for professional football in Europe and advises the UEFA Executive Committee accordingly.

The Professional Football Strategy Council comprises elected representatives of the four main stakeholder groups involved in European professional football: the clubs, via the European Club Association (ECA); the leagues, via the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL); the players, via FIFPro Division Europe; and UEFA, as the football governing body at European level. The body discusses issues of strategic importance for professional football in Europe and advises the UEFA Executive Committee accordingly.