Uefa President Aleksander Čeferin reiterated the importance of supporters to the beautiful game, following a meeting with representative organisations in Nyon, Switzerland on April 24th.
Main image courtesy of Uefa
The meeting represented the first time Mr. Čeferin had met with supporters’ organisations since his election as President of European football’s governing body, and members of the SD Europe team were encouraged by his words of welcome. Two members of the Uefa executive committee, Michael van Praag and Peter Gilliéron, as well as representatives from Uefa’s FSR (Football and Social Responsibility) department were also present on the day.
“Supporters’ groups are vital members of the football community, and it is imperative that we have an open line of communication with them,” he commented to Uefa.org.
“Football would not be the game it is today without the passion and dedication of its fans. I hope that by cooperating closely, we can make important decisions for the good of European football.”
Speaking after the meeting, Acting CEO Niamh O’Mahony said: ”The SD Europe team was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with President Čeferin, and give an outline of our current work and plans for the coming 12 months.
“We welcome Mr. Čeferin’s reiteration and belief that supporters are key stakeholders of the game and look forward to keeping him updated on future activities.”
It has been a busy season for SD Europe to date. The organisation celebrated its first AGM as a pan-European members organisation last November, and continues to oversee its Erasmus+ project, Clubs and Supporters for Better Governance in Football.
Ongoing growth around the Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO) role, which SD Europe helps to implement under Article 35 of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, has been seen while preparations are well underway to celebrate SDE’s 10 year anniversary from July 1.
The meeting was also attend by our fellow FSR partners and friends Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFÉ) and Football Supporters Europe (FSE).
For further information or comment from the SD Europe team, get in touch via our Contact page.