OPINION Portuguese and European League

The opinion of Vasco Pinho, Executive Director of Liga Portugal

A Liga Portugal and the European Leagues are, more than ever, aligned in defending the great challenges and the main national and international objectives of the Football industry, with the common denominator being the aggregating leadership of Pedro Proença. A keystone in the transformation of Portuguese Professional Football, it also promises to represent a turning point in the positioning of the European Leagues within UEFA and within the main stakeholders of Football on the old continent.

Let us have no doubt: the growing strength of the European Leagues is synonymous with the growing strength of each of the domestic leagues that make it up and, as such, synonymous with the growing strength of national Professional Football. Furthermore: the prosperity of the current European competitive model, as we know it, can only be based on the strength of national tests.

The decisions of the General Assembly of the Liga Portugal, on Tuesday, in Porto, and the General Assembly of the European Leagues, on Friday, in London, are very illustrative of the capacity for unity, organization and self-regulation of European Clubs and leagues around common interests.

Regarding the General Assembly of the Liga Portugal, the Competition Regulations and the Disciplinary Regulations were improved in several important aspects, while the General Assembly of the European Leagues approved the new governance model, a key achievement, and consolidated the empowerment of this entity as one of the main stakeholders of current times.

In the specific case of the main meeting of the Liga Portugal, and beyond the regulatory intensification of the fight against non-compliance with wages and against violence, it is worth highlighting the way in which the Sports Societies, in defense of the integrity of the competitions, decided to unanimously approve the maintenance of the sanctioning regime applied to cases of corruption, match-fixing, coercion and sports betting, despite the new Legal Regime for the Integrity of Sport and Combating Unsportsmanlike Behavior providing for significantly lighter penalties.

The General Assembly of the European Leagues brought together FIFA, UEFA, ECA (European Club Association), FIFPRO (International Federation of Professional Football Players), FSE (European Supporters’ Association), UEC (Union of European Clubs) and WLA (World Leagues Association) in an essential strategic alignment for the fight against the Super League and for the uncompromising defense of the values ​​of European Football.

Positions that require constructive dialogue and joint work between the various partners, who have already realized that, together, they are much stronger to protect collective interests and face the great challenges that lie ahead, as highlighted by UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, by thanking Pedro Proença for his firm commitment.