EFA MAKES DEMANDS ON FUTURE OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
The rising concerns surrounding the running of the European League of Football, highlighted by failing franchises and lopsided results, have taken another turn, as the European Football Alliance (EFA) demanded ‘structural reforms, economic fairness, and genuine transparency’ from the competition’s management.
In a document entitled For a Fair Future of European Football, the EFA — an independent association comprising eight of the league’s 16 teams — insists that, while it still believes in the ELF project, there are serious failings that need to be addressed if it is to succeed in achieving the goals it set out for itself.
“Our organisations have helped build [the ELF] over the years and have carried it through difficult conditions,” the lengthy EFA statement noted. “The idea is strong, and the sporting potential is there. However, five years after the league’s founding, the ELF’s recently published statements highlight the league’s fundamental structural problems.”
***
What follows is the rest of the EFA document in full, with the ELF’s claims in italics followed by the EFA’s, often scathing, rebuttals:
“The ELF was founded in 2020 to professionalise football in Europe and to give the
sport the stage it deserves. In just five years, we have created structures that never
existed in this form before. The ELF has international reach, a strong partner network, and is followed by football fans all over the world.”
In reality, operational quality, economic integrity and the sporting product have, at best, stagnated and, in many areas, have clearly deteriorated. The league and its decision-makers have so far failed to attract, retain or strategically develop significant sponsors. This is largely due to the poor business reputation and disappointing track record of the league’s senior management. As a result, the credibility of the franchises is also negatively impacted, making it more difficult to build long-term partnerships and ensure financial stability.
“On the other hand, the ELF is still a start-up, and it’s inevitable that not everything
runs perfectly.”
The ‘start-up excuse’ directly contradicts the previous claim and is simply no longer acceptable. As also stated in the ELF’s own communication, it is the league’s responsibility to provide an adequate framework for the successful operation of all organisations, a responsibility that is currently not being fulfilled. Moreover, it reveals the league’s growing detachment from reality, as well as a lack of seriousness and respect when the structural and financial challenges faced
by franchises are dismissed with the statement “it’s inevitable that not everything runs perfectly” — especially when some of these issues are caused by league-related shortcomings, such as delayed or missing revenue distributions.
“The league is in regular communication with representatives of all franchises, takes criticism very seriously and engages with it, is always open to constructive
conversations, and continuously works to optimise its processes.”
The impression that there is constructive dialogue with the franchises is not accurate. Discussions between the parties remain without result, are delayed, or devalued through vague generalisations. The openness suggested by the ELF does not match the reality faced by the franchises, [who] do not receive reliable information on key revenue sources such as TV contracts, sponsorship agreements or merchandising income. In many cases, revenues are paid out significantly late or not at all, while open claims against franchises remain unresolved.
“Franchises are independent businesses and responsible for building their own
structures. The league provides a framework and offers support and advice. The goal of the ELF remains to sustainably develop football in Europe together with all
stakeholders.”
While the league controls central revenues, the franchises bear the majority of operational costs. There are no mechanisms to support financially weaker markets. Instead, the league operates within a structural model that increasingly burdens franchises, hinders their financial development and is driven by one-sided interests. Franchises that are in direct financial proximity to the league’s ownership receive preferential treatment in terms of access to resources, communication visibility, and operational support. Furthermore, the ‘framework’ that is mentioned has not evolved accordingly since the league’s founding. Instead, it has been overstretched by the league’s unprepared expansion and, in light of multiple franchise withdrawals and insolvencies, clearly exceeded its limits. This unequal distribution of resources, along with the financial pressures many franchises face, inevitably leads to a noticeable decline in the league’s overall sporting quality. Teams under economic pressure often cannot invest in professional medical care, sustainable infrastructure or a stable game-day operation. As a result, injury risks for players increase, and the quality of training and competition declines, ultimately harming the overall product.
***
In conclusion, the EFA claims that, over the past five years, the ELF has failed to sustainably improve its operational standards, financial foundation or the structural conditions necessary for sporting success. Despite a growing fanbase, it has not managed to build reliable sponsorship partnerships or fairly and transparently distribute central revenues. New franchises have, in some cases, been admitted without proper due diligence, resulting in financial instability and insolvencies.
As a result, sporting competition suffers, players face increased injury risks, and the trust of investors, partners and fans continues to decline.
As a result, the eight franchises comprising the EFA — and potentially others going forward — say that they ‘can and will no longer support this course’, demanding a fundamental realignment of the league, complete with real transparency, economic fairness, and structural responsibility. The demands in full are as follows:
- Full transparency regarding central contracts and revenue streams (TV, sponsors, merchandising)
- A fair, structured participation of franchises in league revenues
- Clear regulations on conflicts of interest and ownership structures
- Mechanisms to support financially weaker franchises
- The development of a partnership-based league structure
Based on the experiences of the past five years, however, The EFA says that it seriously doubts the current league management’s willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue or initiate the urgently needed steps to improve European football and, as result, the organisation’s members ‘explicitly reserve the right to explore all options that serve the long-term preservation and development of their
organisations’.