Media Release Date: 15/02/2007 Communiqué aux médias No. 021 Medien-Mitteilung

FIFA and UEFA address various urgent matters

Coordination meeting

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and UEFA President , accompanied by a delegation from each governing body, met in today Thursday 15 February 2007 to discuss a number of urgent matters.

The meeting focused on problems regarding players’ agents, insurance for clubs and the players who they release for international duty and the coordinated international match calendar. With regard to the latter issue, it was noted that, in December 2007, there will be a collision due to scheduled fixtures in the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. The two governing bodies will now examine two possible solutions to this problem as soon as possible. At the same time, the two bodies agreed to create a committee, composed of representatives of all of football’s stakeholders (confederations, associations, leagues, clubs and players’ representatives), in order to harmonise the coordinated international match calendar at world level up to 2014.

Joseph S. Blatter and Michel Platini both recognised the importance of this meeting. “This meeting came at a vital moment, not only for European football, but also for world football. FIFA cannot implement its sports policies without direct cooperation and collaboration with UEFA. We may not always have the same ideas, but we will have the same approach,” stressed Blatter.

Michael Platini, meanwhile, underlined the “unity of vision” shared by FIFA and UEFA, who “need to work together to promote the true values of football and develop our sport together. We will not always agree on everything, but we will agree on the goals.”

Other points on the agenda included the current situation with the , the relationship between FIFA and UEFA, relationships with other confederations and UEFA’s representation on FIFA committees. On the latter point, the FIFA President confirmed that he would propose to the FIFA Congress in Zurich on 30-31 May that the Task Force “For the Good of the Game” be turned into a standing committee in order to allow the task force to work even more efficiently on issues relating to competitions, financial matters and general political as well as sports-political matters.

The two presidents were joined at the meeting by Urs Linsi (FIFA General Secretary), (acting UEFA CEO), Jérôme Champagne (Delegate of the FIFA President for Special Affairs), William Gaillard (senior adviser to the UEFA President), Markus Kattner (Director, FIFA Finance & Controlling Division), Giorgio Marchetti (UEFA Director of Professional Football) and various other members of the FIFA administration.

For further information: FIFA Media Department: ++41 43 222 72 72 UEFA Media Services: ++41 848 04 27 27