Ultra Caos Stockholm skriver tillsammans med en rad andra europeiska supporterscener under en text om UEFA:s planer på att reformera de europeiska klubblagstävlingarna.

Vår underskrift i denna fråga, som kanske inte diskuterats så mycket i Djurgårdsled eller generellt i Sverige, är till viss del solidarisk. Sett till den förmodade effekten på både inhemsk fotboll och tröskeln för europaspel menar vi dock att frågan angår oss alla direkt. Läs uttalandet i sin helhet nedan:

Who is this football for?

A comprehensive reform of the UEFA competitions will come into force for the 2024/25 season, which will be followed by a considerable increase in the number of matches. In addition to an increased burden for players and fans, this will be accompanied in particular by an increase in revenue, which will consolidate the existing structures in European club football and exacerbate the imbalance within the national leagues. We call on those responsible to develop sustainable solutions for European football as a whole in order to ensure fair and exciting competitions both nationally and internationally.

Football fans all over Europe!

Traveling through Europe with your own club and competing with the best of the best – while participation in international competitions is a more or less permanent fixture in the club’s history for some, for others a one-off participation is an absolute dream. However, the magic of European competitions is being increasingly devalued by UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA). With the upcoming reform of the UEFA club competitions in the coming season, this magic is in danger of being lost altogether.

The growing number of matches in the competitions will push players and fans to their limits. The significantly increased revenue to be generated by the reforms also has the potential to destroy the national competitions and pave the way for an impending European Super League. On the one hand, the financial gap between the big and small clubs within the respective leagues is widening, while on the other hand the gap between the top 5 and smaller leagues is also growing. For this reason, several leagues, such as the Swiss Football League and the Austrian Bundesliga, have already spoken out against the reform. The new mode also creates a system that makes it practically impossible for surprise teams to reach the round of 16.

On the other hand, it is to be feared that the income of the national associations will decrease in the future. The resources of TV broadcasters and sponsors are finite and if ever greater proportions of the available money are used up for UEFA competitions, the national competitions will inevitably be cut off. This picture has been confirmed in the context of the awarding of TV rights in Italy and France, and this trend can also be expected in other countries. In recent years, income from European competitions has already led to a massive devaluation of national competitions. As a result, the clubs with the extra millions have regularly fought it out among themselves for the top places in the table.

UEFA’s justification for the urgent need to reform the European competitions seems paradoxical: It serves to enhance the preliminary round and counteract the monotony of the group stage. However, precisely the opposite is to be expected. The existing structures will be further consolidated and the “big players” will be granted further economic planning security. A season in which clubs such as Real Madrid or Manchester City do not make it into the top five of their national leagues is almost impossible.

In order to guarantee exciting national and European competitions and thus maintain the very thing that attracts billions of people across the planet to football, the real problems must be tackled at the root. First and foremost, this includes:

–  to ensure a fairer distribution of the money available in the football system,

–  prevent abuse of the structures already created (e. g. Financial Fair Play) and

–  reduce the number of matches in the competitions.

We will continue to do everything we can to get our game back.

FOOTBALL FOR MILLIONS OF FANS – NOT FOR BILLIONS OF EUROS!

1. FC Köln: Südkurve Köln
Bayer Leverkusen: Ultras Leverkusen, Nordkurve 12
Borussia Dortmund: Südtribüne Dortmund
Brøndby IF: Sydsiden Brøndby
BSC Young Boys: Ostkurve Bern
Djurgårdens IF: Ultra Caos Stockholm
F.C. København: Sektion 12
FC Basel 1893: Muttenzerkurve Basel
FC Bayern München: Südkurve München
FC Luzern: USL
FC St. Pauli: Ultrà Sankt Pauli
FC Zürich: Zürcher Südkurve
Hannover 96: Ultraszene Hannover 96
Hertha BSC: Harlekins Berlin ’98
Linzer ASK: Landstrassler
Malmö FF: Supras Malmö
SC Freiburg: Corrillo Ultras, Synthesia Ultras 79
SK Rapid: Tornados Rapid, Ultras Rapid
VfB Stuttgart: Commando Cannstatt 1997
Werder Bremen: Wanderers Bremen