Ivan Gazidis was part of an European Club Association delegation which met with EU Sports Commissioner, Tibor Navracsics, and European Parliament President, Antonio Tajani.

Gazidis currently serves as an executive board member for the European Club Association (ECA).

He was a part of a delegation, which also comprised vice-chairman Dariusz Mioduski and general secretary Michele Centenaro, that met with Navracsics and Tanjani in Brussels on Friday.

 

It was the first meeting involving the ECA’s new executive board, which was elected in September 2017.

Their role is to share the views of Europe’s clubs on a number of issues that could impact the future of the professional game.

A key subject of this meeting was the future of the transfer system.

The ECA believe that the transfer system, which is currently under examination from a FIFA task force, should be enhanced and modernised.

They were keen to stress that changes should be evolutionary, not revolutionary but are particularly supportive of contractual stability and the way revenue flows from the top clubs to the bottom.

In their press release, via Law in Sport, they stated, “Discussions focused on the future of the transfer system, which is currently being addressed in a specially established FIFA Task Force. The ECA delegation made clear its willingness to work constructively with FIFA and fellow stakeholders in examining ways to enhance and modernise the current rules shaping transfers.

“They argued that the approach should be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, stressing that the fundamentals underpinning the current system should be maintained. Central to this is the need to protect contractual stability and maintain the re-distributive element of the system, which sees revenue flow from the top clubs right down the pyramid.”

Speaking of the meeting, Centenaro said: “We welcome the opportunity to meet with both Commissioner Navracsics and President Tajani.

“I believe our exchanges were beneficial and of real added value as we look to meet the challenges the game faces.

“In addition, today is further testament of ECA’s position as a leading and respected stakeholder who will play a key role in shaping the future of the professional game. We look forward to building on today’s discussions by continuing our dialogue in the months ahead.”

Commissioner Navracsics added: “The European Commission supports all partners running professional football in their efforts to reform the transfer system to ensure that European football can be sustainable and successful in the long term.

“It is important that all stakeholders are engaged in the process, and I welcome the opportunity to listen to the views of ECA as the body representing clubs on this matter as we look at ways to modernise the system.”