Kiri

A22 Sports Management S.L. | Bernd Reichart | C/ Ortega y Gasset, 29 | 28006 Madrid, España H.E. Prof. JUDr. Vladimír Balaš Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic Karmelitská 7 118 12 Prague 1 CC: EU Ministers of Education, Youth and Sport H.E. Věra Jourová European Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency H.E. Mariya Gabriel European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth December 2, 2022 UEFA President Čeferin’s Public Statements at the Council of EU Sport Ministers Dear Minister Prof. Dr. Balaš, dear Member of the Council of EU Sport Ministers, dear Commission Vice-President Jourová, dear Commissioner Gabriel, I am Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22, a European sports management company promoting new concepts and ideas for club football competitions in Europe. At A22, we pride ourselves on a transparent and honest dialogue about the future of European Football, deeply rooted in European values. Recently I invited UEFA’s President Čeferin to share UEFA’s experience and enrich the debate about needed reforms. Furthermore, I asked him to emulate A22’s commitment to fairness and transparency in our dialogue. Unfortunately, it’s clear following the debate held during the Council of EU Sport Ministers of November 29 - that President Čeferin is not arguing on a factual basis. I would like to take this opportunity to share the actual facts with you. - False statement #1: Mr. Čeferin questioned A22’s legitimacy. We are promoters and advisors to the European Super League, a company established by, among others, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Juventus. The ESL and we aspire to achieve much needed reforms in European club football including a new model of governance in which clubs are allowed to manage their own affairs in European competitions, in the same way they manage their affairs in domestic leagues. There is only one reason why a club-run competition is not possible on European level – UEFA’s nearly 70-year monopoly which is currently being examined by the Court of Justice of the European Union. - False statement #2: Mr. Čeferin claimed that women teams would be a “second thing” for the ESL and A22. On the contrary, building an equally visible and exciting competition for both women and men has always been one of A22’s guiding principles and is embedded in the original ESL agreements. Mr. Čeferin’s statement is especially bold in light of the very poor track record of UEFA, which has long neglected the inclusion of women in football. Only about €10 million was allocated to  UEFA Women's Champions League participant's last season. This is very far below offering an “equal play”. - False statement #3: Mr. Čeferin maintained that UEFA is being challenged in court because they represent more countries than the just the EU. That is simply untrue. The case has nothing to do with how many countries UEFA claims to represent. UEFA operates professional club competitions which take place within the European Union and, accordingly, they are subject to European law. The European Court of Justice is examining whether UEFA’s current position as the 100% market share monopoly in European club competitions is legal under EU law. On 15 December, Advocate-General Rantos will deliver his non-binding opinion in this regard and the Court of Justice of the European Union is expected to rule on the case in spring 2023. - False statement #4: Mr. Čeferin stated that the Super League aims to make rich clubs richer. In fact, while UEFA has been watching, divergences between and within domestic leagues across the continent have exploded creating enormous competitive imbalances from country to country. Clubs from the great capitals of smaller EU countries have suffered disproportionately and are unable to fulfil their potential in pan-European competitions. We believe that a properly designed European competition will bring materially increased and sustainable revenues to a wider group of clubs across Europe with domestic leagues also able to benefit from a broader base of clubs with strong, sustainable and predictable financial foundations. - False statement #5: When Mr. Čeferin talks about European solidarity he is hiding important facts. He talked about football pitches to be built all over Europe. Unfortunately, while addressing the Council UEFA fell short in providing any proof. In fact according to their own reports, very few resources go to grassroots sports. Specifically, out of €3 billion of revenues, the so called “HatTrick” programme for football infrastructure distributed a meagre €33 million to member associations, while at the same time UEFA is spending over €100 million in salaries and benefits each year. In comparison, the European Super League company committed to €400 million of solidarity contributions in its original concept. We remain committed to substantially increasing support for grassroots football, whether for women or men. With this letter, I would like to take the opportunity to start a fruitful and constructive exchange with you on how to improve our sport model in Europe. I’m happy to meet in person or remotely. Yours faithfully, Bernd Reichart