ECA not good for domestic leagues, says La Liga president

The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, said the European Club Association does not represent the best interests of domestic leagues as he helped to launch a union that will aim to “give a voice” to more than 1,000 clubs across the continent.

Representatives from five English clubs - Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Watford – were in Brussels on Monday for an event to mark the establishment of the Union of European Clubs, which clubs from 25 countries have expressed interest in joining.

The UEC’s founders, who include the former Blackburn and Republic of Ireland midfielder turned lawyer Gareth Farrelly, have said it intends to provide small or medium-sized clubs who do not regularly qualify for Europe with the opportunity to have a say on decisions that could affect their domestic leagues, such as the expansion of the Champions League from the 2024-25 season.

At present only clubs who qualify for Uefa’s club competitions are invited to become part of the ECA and only 109 of the most successful are permitted to vote on major issues. Tebas accused the ECA – led by Paris Saint-Germain’s president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, since 2019 – of “destructuring” European football but denied reports he was set to assume the presidency of the UEC as a direct rival.

“I’m fed up with hearing that the ECA represents the European clubs,” he said. “It represents the elite clubs in Europe. We try to defend solidarity but that is not just 10% off the clubs. It has to be everyone. Is the ECA open? Not to vote and not for decision-making. Which is what is really necessary.

“European football is now gradually becoming destructured. The super league wanted to de-structure it very fast but there are others, in this particular case