Competitive balance across Europe’s leagues would be transformed with the adoption of a new model for distributing revenue from the Champions League and other Uefa club competitions, according to a proposal by the Union of European Clubs (UEC).
Clubs competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League benefit this season from a bumper €3.317bn (£2.87bn) prize pot, culled from annual €4.4bn revenue primarily generated by media rights sales. Only €308m of the latter figure is divided among clubs who did not reach those competitions, in the form of solidarity payments.
Under the plan drawn up by UEC about €2bn of the prize money would be distributed among all top- and professional second-tier clubs in Europe, dramatically increasing the amount handed to those beyond the elite.
As it stands 74% of Uefa’s pot is sent to Champions League clubs, with 17% given to the Europa League and 9% to the Conference League. The plan put forward by UEC would narrow the split to 50%-30%-20%, with that money pooled proportionately into the domestic leagues of those qualifying rather than to the clubs themselves.
Top-flight clubs would receive 85% of the money in those pools, divided equally, while 15% would be shared among those in the divisions below. Clubs competing in Europe would still take a share, as well as continuing to receive their allocation of roughly €1.3bn of “performance fee” money spread between those in Uefa club competitions. This is considered crucial in ensuring that success on the pitch remains well rewarded.
The proposal in essence removes Uefa’s “value pillar” – which accounts for 35% of prize money and is based on the value of a country’s media market as well as historical performance – and absorbs it into the €2bn sum, which is not contingent on either.
Uefa hopes for a 10% increase in media rights value for the 2027-2031 cycle, which is out to tender in 19 markets. Paramount has won the rights to screen the Champions League in the UK and Germany. UEC, which represents more than 140 non-elite clubs, is concerned that will exacerbate the polarisation caused by repeat European qualifiers earning tens of millions more than most of their domestic competitors.
“Playing in Europe is a dream for thousands of football clubs, but the concentration of money at the top of the game poses a serious risk of Uefa club competitions [UCC] becoming stale and predictable, with the same clubs featuring in the later rounds, year after year,” a UEC spokesperson told the Guardian.
“With the sales process officially under way for Uefa club competition media rights from 2027 and beyond, now is the time for fresh thinking about what we do with the riches generated by the Champions League and other European competitions.”
UEC believes the impact of a new distribution model would be felt particularly in smaller and medium-sized leagues, where domestic television rights deals are usually modest and the potential distortion caused by a handful of clubs receiving European windfalls significant. One example cited is that of the Dutch Eredivisie, in which the clubs that did not qualify for European competitions would earn €4.4m rather than €1.1m. Its league winners would have their cash injection more than halved to €27m.
“Do we allow increased polarisation and predictability to ruin the magic of football for those who cherish our sport?” the UEC spokesperson continued. “Or is there a commonsense way to distribute UCC income that strengthens clubs, leagues, Uefa competitions and the entire pyramid?
“UEC and our member clubs feel there is another way, and if Uefa and its partners are bold enough to look past short-term interest and political pressure from Europe’s most powerful clubs, many of whom actively participated in the breakaway Super League debacle, there’s a serious discussion waiting to happen which holds the promise of benefiting of European football as a whole.”
UEC, which is not officially recognised by Uefa, has no power to implement the proposed measures but presented them to the general assembly of European Leagues in Sofia on Wednesday. Its plan may be attractive to some of the smaller teams who are members of the influential European Football Clubs (EFC) group, which has more than 800 clubs signed up.
