The Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise were blocked from renewing their European Club Association (ECA) membership after signing up to a new body that represents small and medium-sized teams, the Guardian has been told.
Saint-Gilloise were informed this year that their role in the nascent Union of European Clubs (UEC) would violate statutes drawn up by the ECA, a far larger organisation that Uefa legitimises as the sole entity representing clubs’ interests. In effect it meant they were thrown out. It is an example of deep faultlines developing in the continental game as teams beyond the elite call for a greater say in the sport’s future direction.
