Jan-Christian Dreesen: 'Set important points for the future'

Setting the course for the Club World Cup, meeting with EU politicians and a positive interim summary of the new Champions League: in his role as Vice Chair of the European Club Association (ECA), FC Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen attended the meeting of the ExCo and the Board in Brussels. Once again, important decisions for the future of European football were pressed ahead with. In addition, the ECA delegates deepened their contacts with a host of high-ranking representatives of the European Commission at a joint dinner, including Glenn Micallef, EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, as well as members of the European Parliament to intensify their cooperation with political decision-makers.

Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern: “The last two days have emphatically underlined the power that the ECA generates as a strong voice for European clubs. We’re being heard – not just by UEFA and FIFA but also by politicians. I’d like to personally thank EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef for the good and productive talks. Important points for the future of European club football were again set, while we also offered a very positive summary of the first league phase of the reformed Champions League. Our close partnership with UEFA as part of the joint venture UC3 for European club competitions as well as the cooperation with FIFA on the Club World Cup show that we can have an active influence as lobby for the clubs. The ECA is shaping the future of football – setting impulses, driving forward changes and protecting the interests of the clubs at the highest level.”

The meeting in Brussels focussed on key decisions for European football. The feedback on the new format of the Champions League was positive. In particular, the excitement right up to the last matchday and the diverse makeup of the round of 16 vindicate the reform, as Dutch clubs PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, Belgian side FC Brugge, Benfica from Portugal and Lille from France were able to mix with the established top teams from Spain, England and Germany. The Club World Cup in the USA this summer, in which 11 ECA members are taking part, is viewed with great optimism.

The ECA was founded in 2008 with 137 members and now comprises 745 European football clubs from over 55 countries. As one of the founding members, FC Bayern is heavily involved in the organisation and has always been represented on its board in recent years. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the long-standing CEO and current member of the supervisory board of FC Bayern, was the key founding father of the ECA and was Chairman of the club association for many years from 2008. He still serves as Honorary Chairman of the ECA today.