Is G14 really going to disband? The private members group of 18 of Europe’s uber-rich clubs is considering disbanding after reaching a compromise with UEFA and FIFA over compensation for players on international duty.

A deal brokered at a summit in Switzerland will see the European Clubs Forum expanded into a European Clubs Association (ECA) and G14 is expected to announce that it's folding after its next meeting on February 15. The compromise has been flagged up as a success for the G14 and its members, such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United and Rangers, but the ECA, unlike this self-selected lobby group, will involve representatives from all 53 UEFA member associations.

And associations of smaller nations among UEFA’s members will all feel vindicated at helping vote in Michel Platini as UEFA president. Before Platini replaced Lennart Johansson as UEFA president, the situation was looking increasingly gloomy for the smaller associations.

'Smaller nations in Europe have always traditionally benefited from UEFA sticking with group qualifications pitting large against small'


Franz Beckenbauer’s advance to the UEFA presidency at one point seemed inevitable and threatened a very different role to that which associations such as Luxembourg and Iceland are beginning to enjoy under Platini, who has also reformed qualification for the Champions League.

Jeunesse D’Esch from Luxembourg, or IA Akranes, are still unlikely to make the Champions League group stages but clubs from places such as Finland now have a realistic aim of replicating HJK Helsinki’s success in reaching the group stages in the 1998-99 season.

Beckenbauer appeared to have no such ambitions for UEFA’s smaller members after making disparaging remarks about smaller nations shortly before Germany squeezed past Albania 2-1 in a qualifier a few years ago.

Beckenbauer’s bid for the presidency had been endorsed by FIFA head Sepp Blatter and Pele. A World Cup winner as player and manager, Beckenbauer was believed to want to introduce pre-qualifiers in Europe just as other confederations, such as Africa, do to weed out the smaller nations.

Beckenbauer’s views unsettled associations in some smaller countries. Ómar Smárason, media officer for the Icelandic FA, said:

“Matches against the bigger nations are the lifeline of our association, not only with regard to attendances but also regarding TV rights. Losing both would be financially detrimental to us. Fans in all the so-called smaller nations would perhaps lose the chance to see their heroes in action against their own country. I can see absolutely no argument for pre-qualifiers that would help football as a whole.”

Smaller nations in Europe have always traditionally benefited from UEFA sticking with group qualifications pitting large against small. Whether Capello and the English fans like it or not, in UEFA’s view Andorra have every right to play England in the qualifiers regardless of the result. Beckenbauer’s bid came to nothing - unlike his erstwhile rival on the pitch, Platini.

Before the elections, Platini had said: “I want to prevent this most beautiful game from becoming a business”.
As a result, Platini’s campaign was eagerly endorsed by UEFA’s smaller members, who must now be feeling their support was worthwhile.

Platini’s actions since taking over as president have backed up that stance and reinforced views already nursed by UEFA, which re-iterated this in a recent letter to the Jersey Football Association. The JFA wants to join the European elite but not to jump into the qualifiers. Instead, the Channel islanders suggested that a ‘small nations’ competition for UEFA’s smaller members would be a good idea.

But UEFA insist this was not in the interest of any of those associations. Other regions like Africa hold pre-qualifiers to root out the small nations, but UEFA has resisted this. Marc Diederich, a lawyer working for the Luxembourg Football Federation, explained: “All UEFA members belong to the same family and no-one should be excluded by pre-qualification. It would be a dramatic catastrophe for all the small nations to be obliged to play a prequalification and not acceptable for them.”

The 1-0 win by Luxembourg over Belarus in a Euro 2008 qualifier was the Grand Duchy’s first competitive win in over a decade but Diederich points to who this last win was against. He says: “We beat the Czech Republic in a qualifier for Euro 1996 and a few months later they played in the final against Germany.”

Like beating neighbours Holland over two legs to reach the quarter-finals of the nascent European Championship in 1968, Luxembourg’s successes are rare but for some smaller nations they are becoming more common.

G14 may not have been interested but standards are improving at the smaller nations: Liechtenstein won two matches and drew another in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, while Malta had their best ever campaign, including a 2-1 win over Hungary, who have appeared in two World Cup finals – albeit a long-time ago. Small is unlikely to ever be best in Europe but with Platini at UEFA and G14 hopefully gone it can be better.