Katarina Petlovich has an idea to change football on the Old Continent, which is dominated by giants like Manchester City. Photo: Cornerstone/Dr
Katarina Petlovich co-founded the European Club Association (UEC) in April 2023 for greater democracy and fairness in football. It calls on Swiss clubs to join the movement.
10/19/2023 at 6:55 pm10/19/2023 at 7:11 pm
Dominic Wirth/Media
A power struggle broke out within European football. And Katarina Pietlovic is right in the middle. This Estonian jurist with Bosnian roots actually has He co-founded the European Club Association (UEC) last April in order to defend the interests of smaller clubs. Enough to enter into an almost direct confrontation with the powerful European Club Association (ECA).
According to Katarina Pietlovic, the elite only looks at the elite. Here is the Champions League winner Manchester City. Image: Cornerstone
In this interview conducted with CH Media, the group that Watson, the Secretary General of the UEC explains how she intends to change European football to allow it to regain a certain balance. The least we can say is that this law professor at the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon does not master her words when facing major clubs.
Ms. Petlovich, how are things going in European football?
Katarina Petlovic: We have a big problem. Today, it is the elite, or in other words the big clubs, that decide. They only look at the elites. It is the rule of the plutocracy, a plutocracy that has absolutely nothing to do with democracy.
With what consequences?
There was a time when Steaua Bucharest or Red Star Belgrade won the Champions League, that was in 1986 and 1991. It was the golden age of European football, yet it is unthinkable today, because there is still a small circle of big clubs able to win it. At that time, it was rare to see a club win titles, as is the case today in many tournaments.
Red Star Belgrade, European champions in 1991. Another era.Image: x screenshot
With all respect, those times will never come back. The European football landscape has changed a lot because of this.
It’s not too late yet. But for that to happen, we need to change the structures that caused all of this. Today, the top clubs are decided via the European Club Association (ECA). They negotiate with UEFA themselves and are involved, for example, in distributing billions from European competitions.
“They claim to represent the interests of all clubs. But deep down, they only think about themselves.
The ECA opposes this view of things.
certainly. But within its steering committee, the top six European leagues hold half the seats. The other 49 leagues share the rest. One consequence of this is that money is now distributed more unilaterally than before. I have already mentioned the most serious result: today, before the match, it is becoming increasingly known who will be the winner.
Jan Christian Driessen (left), President of Bayern Munich, and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President of Paris Saint-Germain and the European Club Association during the latter’s general assembly.Image: Cornerstone
What do you plan to do to change that?
New structures are needed. This does not mean that major clubs should create a Super League. Instead, we must put an end to the rule of the wealthy. We want democracy.
“Every club should have a voice so the system will be more balanced.”
It all starts with good structures. everyone. If a country does not have a good government, if there is no justice, then society will not be fair either. This rule also applies to football.
Which brings us to the European Club Association. How do you see your role?
We want to be an association of small and medium clubs. The major clubs already have their representative with the European Club Association. At his table currently sits the European Football Association. We want to change that and advocate for those who are not represented. I am referring here to the more than 1,000 clubs in Europe that do not belong to the elite. By uniting, they will be much stronger and be able to make a difference. This is what we are working on. Because with us, every club has the same rights.
How many members do you have?
Nearly 130 clubs.
Which one, for example?
Until the first general meeting, we will have an interim management committee. There are prominent representatives of Osasuna in Spain or Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, or even clubs from Latvia, Ireland and Israel. But we cannot reveal the identities of all our members.
For any reason?
Because the ECA is putting a lot of pressure. She wants to maintain her power. Clubs are prohibited from being members of both federations. I warned that clubs that join us risk sanctions from UEFA, which is not true. When we want to go to a country to present ourselves to clubs, the European Club Association tries to stop us.
The European Club Association says you are extremists and want to divide European football when it needs unity.
I laughed until I cried when I heard that. Fortunately, it was the Economic Commission for Africa that brought this blame to us. Of course, I understand that they are defending themselves. The ECA has now existed in this form for 15 years. No one has challenged its monopoly yet. We are the first. But there is something that needs to be clarified.
…So what?
We don’t want to replace the European Club Association at all, because it is essential that the elite clubs are represented. But you also need someone who speaks for everyone. The European Club Association cannot do this, because the big clubs have goals other than the goals of the small clubs.
“They want to maintain their dominant position, they want the most money, and they want permanent access to the Champions League.”
Recently, the European Club Association and UEFA agreed to increase solidarity payments to clubs not participating in European Cups from 4% to 7%. The Egyptian Chefs Association claims this success as its own.
It is not their success, but a settlement they agreed to, under pressure from the association of all European leagues, the European Leagues. Let’s be honest: this increase is certainly a good thing, but it won’t change anything at all.
The Belgians of the Saint-Gilloise Union (in white) are part of the UEC. Photo: Keystone
What number suits you?
I’m a lawyer, not an economist. It’s about maintaining a certain balance. What is certain is that 7% will never be enough. This number should be much higher. It is also not possible for Champions League clubs to receive more money because they come from large television markets or have had success in the past. It’s still weird.
People want to see the big clubs, which leads to this race for broadcast rights and huge sponsorship deals.
Let’s take an example. We both get paid, you at your media company, I at university. We pay taxes, but not as much as our millionaire neighbor. As a taxpayer, he is more important to the state than we are. But when we elect Parliament, everyone has a voice.
Why do we accept in football what we would never accept in a democratic country?
The comparison ends there.
No, I can’t find it. Big clubs bring in more money, it’s true. But they are not doing it from scratch. They do this because they are at the top of the pyramid supported by small and medium clubs. The latter develops talent, sells players, and thus feeds the pyramid. Without them the big clubs wouldn’t exist.
Katarina Pietlovic, Secretary General of UEC. Photo: Dr
You mentioned the European Leagues, an association that also claims to represent 1,000 clubs. Is UEC really necessary?
We have good relations with European leagues, and we are invited, for example, to attend their general meetings. But there is currently a lot of turmoil.
“The Spanish League, for example, has left this association. But we want to cooperate with the latter, that is for sure.”
La Liga president Javier Tebas is now involved in your UEC. Was he the one who decided to use you to get revenge?
Tebas pays our fees and we are grateful for that, because we don’t receive money otherwise, unlike the European Club Association which receives millions from UEFA. But it doesn’t tell us what to do.
Javier Tebas, President of the Spanish League. Image: Cornerstone
In conclusion: Why should Swiss clubs join the UEC?
Because they alone are weak. They have no power to change anything. Once again, if the small and medium clubs in Europe come together, they will have the potential to become the biggest and most powerful voice, a voice that no one can ignore. It’s time to show courage.
French adaptation: Stephane Combe
