Football : les clubs entament un vrai dialogue avec l’UEFA et la FIFA[en] 

As part of the deal, FIFA has agreed to pay compensation to clubs whose players take part in international competitions such as the European Championships and World Cup. As for the G14, it agreed to its dissolution and the withdrawal of a case it has opened against FIFA with the European Court of Justice (ECJ). 

The ECJ was set to rule on whether FIFA rules on the compulsory release of players for international matches comply with the EU legislation on competition and free movement of workers. The case was hailed as the second landmark ECJ case in football, after the 1995 Bosman ruling gave professional footballers the right to a free transfer at the end of their contracts.

The Letter of Intent signed by UEFA, FIFA and the G14 on 15 January 2008 "signals a welcome and long-sought change in the governance of football," said the G14 in a statement. ECA will become the first independent Europe-wide club association to be acknowledged by UEFA and FIFA, which always considered the G14 too elitist to be representative of all clubs in Europe. 

"By entering into a real and mature dialogue with the clubs, UEFA and FIFA have signaled their intention to correct the imbalance that exists in the governance of the game at European and international levels," added the G14, welcoming the fact that clubs will now be "appropriately represented in the decision-making bodies" and the dispute over the compensation for players borrowed in international games resolved (see EurActiv 27/09/2006).

Based on the agreement, UEFA's internal body, the European Club Forum , will evolve into an independent European Club Association (ECA) representing the interests of over a hundred clubs from 53 federations all over Europe. 

FIFA President Sepp Blatter hailed the meeting as an historic occasion and a turning point in modern football. "The clubs, which are the basic cells of our game and fundamental to its thriving, are at last to become a part of the pyramidal football organisation [...] We have reached this positive conclusion by taking care of the legitimate aspirations and requests of clubs to access the decision-making levels of international football." 

"The demands of the clubs to be heard and to be associated, also financially, are well-founded. The letter of intent signed today is not a political step, but a logical one," agreed UEFA President Michel Platini. 

The European Club Forum will meet on 21 January 2008 to create the ECA. The UEFA annual congress on 31 January will ratify the agreement and in February the G14 will agree to proceed to dissolution and ask for the ECJ case to be withdrawn.

The Commission's White Paper on Sport , published in July 2007, calls for a more structured dialogue and co-operation with law enforcement services, sport organisations and other stakeholders on issues such as the licensing system for clubs and racism.