European Clubs agree to more even distribution of Champions League funds

STOCKHOLM: European clubs have agreed to distribute revenue from the Champions League and Europa League more evenly from next season, the European Clubs Association (ECA) and UEFA said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes amid concerns that the gulf between Europe`s richest clubs and the rest is widening, with the result that both domestic leagues and the Champions League itself are becoming increasingly repetitive and predictable.

"ECA and UEFA have together developed a revolutionary distribution mechanism for the Champions League and Europa League, aimed at sharing the competitions` revenue growth more evenly among European clubs," ECA and UEFA said in a joint statement.

"A record funding pot of 2.24 billion euros (per season) will be divided with a new focus on solidarity," they added following an ECA meeting in Stockholm.

"A greater proportion of funds than ever before will go to UEFA Europa League participants, to participants in the qualifying rounds and to clubs in medium/smaller championships.

"The concept means more funding for all, because the new percentage-based system ensures that every stakeholder will benefit proportionally from the competitions` continued growth."

ECA said that more money would also be distributed to clubs who release players for Euro 2020 and that, for the first time, the amount would be calculated as a percentage rather than a fixed amount.

"Clubs will receive eight per cent of income from broadcast, commercial and ticketing/hospitality, with the minimum set at 200 million euros, a 50 million euro increase on the clubs` share of Euro 2016 revenues," said ECA.

"ECA is still a very young organisation and these achievements are an extraordinary success, which will strengthen the solidarity among the clubs and our sense of responsibility for football," said ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.