Professional Football Strategy Council urges governments to support football on betting

In particular, the Professional Football Strategy Council:

• resolves to further strengthen joint efforts to prevent and combat match-fixing, in linewith the ‘Resolution against match fixing' adopted by the Professional Football Strategy Council in Monaco on 27 August 2010;

• recalls that financial solidarity depends on redistribution of revenue from the commercial exploitation of top professional football to the grassroots;

• expresses concern at the growing unauthorised commercial use of football competitions for betting purposes;

• considers that competition organisers/clubs should have the right, including intellectual property right, to consent to their events being used by betting companies and that such companies should pay fair financial compensation;

• recalls that such financial compensation is also essential for funding grassroots football as well as fighting match-fixing and sports fraud;

• in line with recent initiatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe and certain national authorities, urges political authorities to adopt concrete national and/or European wide legislation to address these matters and to ensure a fair financial return to football.

The European Club Association is represented by David Gill (Manchester United FC), Florentino Pérez (Real Madrid CF), Umberto Gandini (AC Milan) and Maarten Fontein (AZ Alkmaar). The body discusses issues of strategic importance for professional football in Europe and advises the UEFA Executive Committee accordingly.