Taking advantage of the second leg of the Europa League play-off between KF Shkëndija and KAA Gent in Skopje, the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) organised a bilateral meeting with Gent SLO Dirk Vos, who represents Belgium in the European SLO network. The meeting was also attended by Alexandar Misevski representative of Ultras FC Pelister.
In spite of the differences between the two countries, the SLO principles remain the same and meetings such as these offer those attending a perfect opportunity to share knowledge. Speaking for the FFM, SLO coordinator Stojce Atanatovski said: “We’ll be taking further action to improve the implementation of Article 35 [of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations] and we are looking for practical examples that can help us.”
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Introduced in 2012/13, bilateral SLO meetings are becoming increasingly popular with football’s governing bodies due to the learning effect for SLOs through engaging in dialogue and sharing experiences with experienced visiting SLO/s. There is no one-size-fits-all model for these meetings and the format is decided by the hosts, as are the attendees from the various football stakeholders, e.g. club/football association/league officials (CEOs, safety officers, etc.), representatives of the police, supporter groups, local authorities, existing and potential sponsors, and others. To find more about bilateral SLO meetings, visit the SLO section on the SD Europe website.
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Under Article 35 of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, clubs across Europe are required to appoint a Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO) to ensure proper and constructive discourse between them and their fans. The SLO project originated in 2009 as a result of detailed talks between UEFA and SD Europe. It was approved by the UEFA Executive Committee in 2010, with SD Europe appointed to manage its implementation across UEFA’s 55 member associations. If you would like to learn more, visit the SLO section on the SD Europe website or get in touch via slo@supporters-direct.coop.
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