After Plans For European Super League, European Parliament Votes To Oppose ‘Breakaway Competitions’
The European Parliament has voted to oppose breakaway competitions like the controversial football Super League project.
The footballing world was set alight after plans to set up the breakaway competition were announced back in April.
The plans, which would have seen Europe’s biggest football clubs form their own competition, were scrapped following public outcry.
Three of the clubs involved – Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona – have said they consider plans for the league to be on standby.
Now, the EU parliament has said it wants European sporting culture to be aligned with EU values of solidarity, sustainability, inclusiveness for all, open competition, sporting merit and fairness.
With 597 votes in favour, 36 against and 55 abstentions, the parliament has voted to “strongly oppose” breakaway competitions that undermine these principles and “endanger the stability of the overall sports ecosystem”.
MEPs said they wanted a balance struck between professional sports’ commercial interests and it’s more social function.
To achieve this, they are calling for financial redistribution between professional and grassroots sports, as well as the creation of a solidarity mechanism by sports federations to ensure adequate funding for amateur sports and grassroots sport.
MEPs also want to address gender inequality and harassment in sports, particularly when it comes to pay and equal representation on the boards of sports organisations.
They want European media to give more coverage to a wider range of sports, particularly women’s and youth sports as well as level premium payments for female and male athletes.
Moreover, the resolution also urges public authorities, sports federations and organisations to do all they can to uphold human rights and democratic principles in all of their actions.
They specifically pointed to awarding countries host status for major sporting events, as well as the manner in which sponsors are chosen.
In the last decade, FIFA has awarded the football World Cup to Russia and Qatar – two countries with dubious human rights records. The decisions have accelerated the loss of faith in the entity, which has been found to have engaged in corrupt practices.
The resolution stresses that countries whose governments repeatedly violate fundamental rights and values should no longer be able to host major sporting events.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
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