UEFA approves reform package, dishes out 1m Euros to members

European football governing body UEFA on Wednesday approved a reform package to bring its statutes in line with the world governing body FIFA.

The European body will also dish out an additional 1 million Euros (about 1.07 million dollars) to each of its 55 members.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin meanwhile warned that his association would not cave in to “blackmail’’ from the continent’s leagues.

The leagues have started allowing their clubs to schedule games at the same time as Champions League and Europa League matches.

The UEFA congress in Helsinki approved reforms which include a maximum three four-year terms for its president and executive committee members.

The reforms also bring ethical and good governance into the UEFA statutes.

Ceferin spoke of an overhaul of the foundations, adding that these changes are essential if we are to rebuild our image, restore our credibility and strengthen our legitimacy.

Recent corruption affairs in world football have also harmed UEFA, with former president Michel Platini banned over a “disloyal payment” he received from former FIFA boss Joseph Blatter.

Ceferin was elected UEFA president in 2016 in succession of Platini.

The reforms came into effect July 1 but the term limits already apply to the eight new executive committee members elected on Wednesday.

They are Zbigniew Boniak of Poland, Ireland’s John Delaney, Reinhard Grindel of Germany, Karl-Erik Nilsson of Sweden, Italy’s Michele Uva and Servet Yardimci of Turkey.

Others are the re-elected David Gill of England and Dutchman Michael van Praag.

Grindel was meanwhile also elected to complete the term of now-suspended compatriot Wolfgang Niersbach on the FIFA Council until 2019.

New council members from Europe on full terms are Hungary’s Sandor Csanyi, Costakis Koutsokoumnis of Cyprus and Montenegro’s Dejan Savicevic.

“The additional payments of 1 million Euros to each member-federation meanwhile are the result of big earnings from national team events such as Euro 2016,’’ Ceferin said.

UEFA made a profit of 102.1 million Euros in the 2015 to 2016 season, which included the continental tournament in France.

Its reserves have risen to 633 million Euros.

“UEFA is not here to accumulate wealth, while [associations] struggle to develop football in the furthest reaches of [their] territories,’’ Ceferin said.

He called for an ongoing dialogue with the European Club Association (ECA) and the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL).

They have both been critical of UEFA decisions such as a Champions League reform, and want a bigger saying in general.

Ceferin named the stakeholders as partners they must respect.

“We will never give in to the blackmail of those who think they can manipulate small leagues or impose their will on the associations based on the big income they generate.’’

ECA officials Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of Germany and Andrea Agnelli of Italy were named full members of the executive committee where the EPFL also would be represented.