"In a club these days, everything changes – players, coaches, owners, directors, managers – but the fans and the link with the society remains the same. And this is what we need to protect. And when we look at the financial figures in particular, we have to be worried about the trend and we need to tackle that. We need to establish a safe and healthy environment for European club football to continue to develop and prosper."
These words were spoken by UEFA's General Secretary Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, as European football's governing body launched its fourth club licensing benchmarking report, which analyses the financial results of over 650 clubs from the top divisions in UEFA's 53 member nations.
As well as this new publication, the launch in Nyon also focused on UEFA's Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, which are intended to introduce more discipline into club finances and reduce the unsustainable spending that has seen European teams in their top divisions accumulate an estimated €19.1 billion' worth of liabilities as of the 2010 Financial Year.
As well as setting out a framework for increased financial responsibility, the Regulations outline a system of good governance through a comprehensive club licensing system, something which complements the proposals that Supporters Direct has developed for the English football pyramid. They also set out (in Article 35) the requirement for clubs to appoint a Supporter Liaison Officer for the beginning of the 2012/13 season - the result of detailed talks between UEFA and Supporters Direct.
In a time of profound economic crisis across Europe, it is essential that football adopts more sustainable business practices, and embraces good governance, in order to preserve clubs as valuable community assets. Supporters Direct fully endorses UEFA's efforts in this area, and will continue to work towards the same goals.
