No.115 – 01-02/2012 UEFADirect115•E.indd 1 13.02.12 15:28 2 In the issue Executive Committee meeting in Nyon 4 The Executive Committee held its fi rst meeting of the year at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, where its discussions included preparations for the Ordinary UEFA Congress in Istanbul in March. UEFA Referees put through their paces in Turkey 8 Europe’s elite referees met in Antalya to prepare for the second half of the season, which for some will culminate at le UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. Sportsfi Another world title for FC Barcelona 9 FC Barcelona added another trophy to their already impressive collection when they won the Club World Cup at the end of last year. Getty Images Social responsibility at The FA 10 The Football Association in England WE CARE ABOUT FOOTBALL has invested its HatTrick payments in social projects and is reaping the rewards. Offi cial publication of the A FA Union des associations EF EFA E UEFA U UE européennes de football The FA Chief editor : André Vieli Disciplinary workshop in Madrid 12 Produced by : Atema Communication SA, CH-1196 Gland A workshop organised for UEFA’s disciplinary Printing : bodies and inspectors was the perfect place to review Artgraphic Cavin SA, CH-1422 Grandson the disciplinary practices of the last two years. Editorial deadline : 3 February 2012 RFEF UEFA UEFA The views expressed in signed articles are not necessarily the offi cial views of UEFA. The reproduction of articles published in UEFA·direct is authorised, News from member associations 15 provided the source is indicated. UEFA Route de Genève 46 Supplement CH-1260 Nyon Switzerland The 51st issue of the UEFA·Technician includes Tel. +41 848 00 27 27 an interview with Spain’s world champion coach, Fax +41 848 01 27 27 www.UEFA.com Vicente Del Bosque. [email protected] Cover UEFA’s club competitions got back under way in February, when FC Basel 1893 (Markus Steinhöfer, right) beat Manchester United FC (Wayne Rooney) to earn themselves a debut in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 Photo: Getty Images UEFADirect115•E.indd 2 13.02.12 15:28 EDITORIAL I MEETINGS I COURSES I COMPETITIONS I NEWS I ASSOCIATIONS I NOTICES EditorialSurtitre 3 The big freeze UEFA hese past few weeks, a spell of freezing cold weather And in terms of popularity, football has lost none of its Thas been sweeping much of Europe. This coincides heat and continues to attract the fans. with an area of low pressure hanging over the fi nancial health of European football clubs, whose global debt – Just as the cold weather is not all bad for living organ- in contrast to the ambient temperature – continues to rise. isms, so it does our football clubs no real harm to feel the chill a bit as well, to make sure that these sparks of prom- We know, though, that the cold snap will not last and ise do not burn out or fade away. I therefore encourage that milder weather will follow. Likewise, in return for a the clubs to embrace the current cold spell by introducing few structural adjustments, the current fi nancial situation a spending freeze. That would be heartwarming to see. from which football is shivering can also be short-lived and give way to sunnier climes. If this is to be the case, fi nancial fair play is crucial, concerning as it does the 650 top clubs of UEFA’s 53 Gianni Infantino member associations. As explained at the fi nancial fair UEFA General Secretary play media day organised by UEFA in January, it is a participatory process in which the clubs are heavily involved. We should not forget, after all, that the fi nan- cial fair play rules have been introduced to help the clubs and not to freeze them out, an aim which, given the support they have shown for the project, the clubs seem to have well understood. There are already some glimmers of hope. For exam- ple, the clubs’ revenues are growing, which is no mean feat in view of the general fi nancial situation in Europe. UEFA •direct | 01-02.12 UEFADirect115•E.indd 3 13.02.12 15:28 EDITORIAL I MEETINGS I COURSES I COMPETITIONS I NEWS I ASSOCIATIONS I NOTICES 4 Executive Committee Looking to Istanbul Turkey’s largest city is hosting the 36th Ordinary UEFA Congress on 22 March, the second to be held in Istanbul, which previously hosted UEFA’s general meeting back in 1978. At its fi rst meeting of the year, chaired by the UEFA president, Michel Platini, in Nyon on 24 January, the Executive Committee discussed the preparations for this year’s meeting of UEFA’s highest organ. UEFA The Executive Committee at its meeting here will be no elections at the forthcoming UEFA Con- general secretaries of all 53 member associations. Other in Nyon Tgress, but that does not meant the agenda will be any items will be the centralised sale of commercial rights to the lighter, as the Executive Committee is proposing vari- European qualifying matches for UEFA EURO 2016 and ous amendments to the UEFA Statutes. The changes con- the 2018 World Cup and the relationship between cern the club licensing system (transforming the Club UEFA, the clubs, the leagues and the players. Financial Control Panel into a disciplinary body so that it can impose disciplinary measures itself, and increasing Futsal Cup fi nal round in Lleida the range of disciplinary measures available), the formal In Nyon, the Executive Committee also heard reports inclusion of a woman on the Executive Committee, the on the work undertaken by UEFA’s various committees length of committee members’ terms of offi ce (extended to and decided on the proposals they had submitted. One four years), the possibility of convening a second Ordi- such decision was to appoint FC Barcelona to host the nary UEFA Congress in the same year as the fi rst, and the fi nal round of the 2011/12 UEFA Futsal Cup. The adoption of the euro as UEFA’s accounting currency. matches will be played at the 6,100-capacity Pavelló In addition to the annual activity reports on the 2010/11 Barris Nord in Lleida. Qualified are FC Barcelona, season and the usual fi nancial matters, the agenda in Dinamo Moskow, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Istanbul will also include an agreement on minimum Marca Futsal. requirements for professional players’ contracts and an The Executive Committee also approved the Regula- update on the measures taken after the strategy meeting tions of the 2012/13 UEFA Regions’ Cup, which enter held in Cyprus in September with the presidents and into force on 1 May. These regulations differ only slightly UEFADirect115•E.indd 4 13.02.12 15:28 5 from the previous season’s, one of the main changes being new look as of 2015, when the fi nal round will feature the introduction of compulsory medical examinations for not 8 but 16 teams, as it did until 2002. The aim of the players. enlarging the fi eld again is to give more youth players the opportunity to experience a UEFA fi nal round and Under-21 EURO in even years thereby enhance their development. On the topic of UEFA age-limit competitions, the Exec- These changes are the result of the discussions with utive Committee decided to modify the calendar of the UEFA’s member associations at the strategy meeting in European Under-21 Championship, the fi nal round of Cyprus in September and studies undertaken into the which will be played in even years as of 2016, as was possibilities discussed. already the case until 2006. The qualifying round The Executive Committee also approved the budget groups will be formed on the basis of those drawn for the for 2012/13, adopted an offi cial UEFA anthem, or European Championship or World Cup qualifying com- walk-on music, and set up a working group, led by the petition, to allow the senior and Under-21 teams to travel chairman of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee, together and to enable the senior team coaches to fol- Michael van Praag, to discuss cross-border competitions. low more closely the progress of the next generation. Finally, the committee was informed of the positive Further consideration will be given to the fi nal round for- discussions had with the European Club Association mat before any decisions are made in this regard. (ECA), which should result in the signing of a new mem- The European Under-17 Championship will also have a orandum of understanding between the two parties. ● European club football analysis nother particularly interesting item on the agenda tially, professional club football in Europe is in an Aof the Executive Committee’s latest meeting was enviable fi nancial situation, its revenues having con- the publication of UEFA’s fourth club licensing tinued to rise despite the troubled economic times. benchmarking report, providing an insight into the The problem is that, although revenues rose from fi nancial data on European club football drawn €12 billion in 2009 to a little under €12.8 billion in from the 2010 fi nancial period. The report was offi - 2010 (a 6.6% increase), spending rose by 9.3% cially unveiled the next day before a selection of during that same time, to a whopping €14.4 billion, media representatives invited to a presentation on resulting in overall net losses of €1.6 billion, losses to fi nancial fair play. Two representatives of the ECA which 56% of top division clubs contributed.