UEC Pushes for Fair Play: Rewarding Player Development in European Soccer

The Union of European Clubs (UEC) has proposed a significant redistribution of UEFA prize money, potentially benefiting low-ranked clubs across the continent. The initiative, presented on Monday, aims to channel 5% of broadcast and commercial revenue from UEFA competitions such as the Champions League to smaller clubs that nurtured future soccer stars.

In monetary terms, this translates to 220 million euros from an estimated 4.4 billion euros revenue. The idea is to reward clubs that have invested in player development without playing in the league phase of UEFA competitions. Such a move, according to the UEC, could have provided 400 clubs with at least 400,000 euros annually in recent years.

The proposal, termed the Player Development Reward, seeks to restore balance in the soccer ecosystem by recommending payments based on the contribution of trained players in UEFA tournaments. However, it's uncertain if UEFA and the European Club Association, which strongly influences key decisions in soccer, will support this paradigm shift.

(With inputs from agencies.)