MiTi: European Club Association annual meeting, small and medium-sized clubs are worried that the Champions League will cause the collapse of Serie A

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the European Football Club Association (EFC) held its annual meeting in Rome, Italy, and Chairman Nasser also held informal meetings with some Italian clubs.

The annual meeting of the European Football Club Association officially started on October 8, and on the afternoon of October 7, Paris Saint-Germain Chairman Nasser, who serves as the chairman of the association, invited some Italian clubs to hold informal talks at the Cavalieri Hotel in Rome. Serie A Professional League Chairman Ezio Simoneri and CEO Luigi De Severo were present. There were also many representatives from Serie A and Serie B clubs, and Italian Football Federation Chairman (also UEFA Vice-President) Gravina was the special guest. Currently, the European Football Club Association has more than 700 club members, including 29 Italian clubs.

Chairman Nasser said that "we are a big family" and he hopes to emphasize the "inclusiveness" of the European Football Club Association in facing the new stage of problems, and all European Football Club Association members regardless of the size of the club can run for election as representatives of the European Football Club Association Council. However, an Italian club executive sarcastically said: "The European Football Club Association hopes to buy these clubs."

Although Chairman Nasser emphasized during the meeting that according to the memorandum signed by the European Football Club Association and UEFA, clubs that have missed the European war will share 308 million euros, which accounts for 7% of UEFA's total club competition revenue. But the manager of a small and medium-sized club said frankly: "This money has little impact on our budget."

"Gazzetta dello Sport" pointed out that many Italian small and medium-sized clubs are skeptical of the European Football Club Association's stance. They believe that the European Football Club Association is actually only concerned with protecting the interests of the top 20 clubs in Europe, rather than focusing on maintaining the system of national leagues. They worry that if it continues to develop and continue to emphasize the importance of the Champions League, Serie A may collapse like Ligue 1 without a TV broadcaster.

UEFA President Ceferin also came to Rome, and during this annual meeting, A22, a company that promotes the European Super League plan, continued to lobby and negotiate with UEFA, hoping to make possible adjustments to the Champions League format from 2027. This overlaps with the work of the European Football Club Association. In addition, Barcelona President Laporta may also attend this annual meeting of the European Football Club Association, which will mean that the interest alliance between the big clubs in the European Football Club Association will prevail.