Gozi: “No one owns football, and that goes for UEFA too”

On 9 November 2026 in Nyon, European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin signed a renewed cooperation arrangement between the European Commission and UEFA, which recognises UEFA as the governing body of European football and runs until 2029. Sandro Gozi, Renew Europe MEP and Secretary-General of the European Democratic Party, reacted to the signing.

“The agreement signed today in Nyon by European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin defends the right principles: qualification on sporting merit, open competitions, solidarity between professional and grassroots football, and league matches played at home in front of their own fans. On this, the Commission has our support. But such strong political backing for UEFA must come with clear guarantees, and today the Commission has some questions to answer,” said Gozi.

“How will the Commission remain independent in applying competition law,” Gozi asked, “after recognising UEFA as the sole governing body of European football? The Court of Justice has already made clear that whoever authorises competitions and runs their business must comply with it. And what do fans actually gain?” “On soaring ticket prices, dynamic pricing and transparency in ticket sales, the agreement is silent. And who will measure the results? The text provides for meetings and dialogue, with no verifiable targets and no role for the European Parliament,” he continued.

“Today Čeferin said that no one owns football just because they govern it. He is right, and the principle applies to Nyon too. The agreement will remain in force until 2029 and states that it creates no rights or obligations: without answers, this cooperation risks becoming a blank cheque for UEFA’s commercial and regulatory decisions. We will ask the Commission to come to Parliament and explain how it intends to prevent that,” Gozi concluded.