European clubs will receive about €175 million over the next four years as compensation for releasing players for international matches.
The agreement was announced by UEFA president Michel Platini in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding, and ends a long-running feud between the clubs and the sport’s governing bodies.
The signing of the Memorandum means that UEFA recognises the European Club Association (ECA) as the sole body representing the interests of clubs at European level – and the ECA recognises UEFA as the governing body of football at European level, and FIFA as the governing body of football at worldwide level.
The G-14 group of Europe’s 18 most powerful clubs have agreed to drop their legal disputes with FIFA and UEFA, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed.
“From today the football family is reunited, thanks to Michel Platini,” said Rummenigge, who was representing the ECA that will include the 103 highest-ranked teams in European football.
“Normally with agreements there are winners and losers but this time everyone is a winner. I must thank UEFA President Michel Platini for the speed with which these actions have been set in motion and without whom many of these solutions would not have been possible.”
FIFA will pay clubs whose players take part in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa €76.1m million. UEFA will pay clubs €43.5m million for the 2008 European Championship and €55m million for the 2012 tournament.
“Clubs who provide UEFA and FIFA with certain amounts of money through these players should get some compensation and share in these profits,” Platini said after the meeting at UEFA’s headquarters.
“After being elected and confronting the problems in football, I said that the game, that dialogue and the exchange of ideas was the solution. I now count on you, football counts on you, UEFA counts on you, and the youth of today counts on you.
“I would like to place on record and express my sincere thanks to the FIFA President, Joseph Blatter, and the FIFA General Secretary, Jérôme Valcke, as well as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Adriano Galliani, Umberto Gandini, Joan Laporta, Peter Kenyon and Ramón Calderón.”
The money will be provided for all clubs that a player belonged to during the previous two years, meaning smaller clubs will benefit from the arrangement as well, he said.
The deal also means that G-14 will be dissolved when it next meets February 15.
