Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell attends ‘important’ European meeting on football finances and UEFA revenue

Chairman Peter Lawwell represented Celtic at a European Club Association meeting this week, focusing on finances.

The financial working group of the ECA convened in Lisbon, hosted by Sporting, to discuss a variety of issues including the distribution of UEFA revenues and financial fair play rules.

Representatives of other clubs including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund were also in attendance on Wednesday.

Lawwell, who is also vice-chairman of the club association, is said to have regarded the meeting as “very productive” and hailed Celtic’s link to the Portuguese city.

He said [Sporting]: “ECA is the only club association recognized by FIFA and UEFA and we have a very important role as the heart of European Football. We have a very large network of contacts and we work on behalf of the clubs. We are getting bigger and bigger, already with 657 members representing the majority of clubs in Europe’s top divisions. We are very proud of this and we had a very interesting meeting.

“The hospitality has been exceptional. Lisbon is very special for Celtic FC as is Sporting CP, since we have the same colors and a good relationship with the Board of Directors.”

ECA financial group described as ‘very important’

Michael Verschueren, chair of the financial working group added: “Our working group is very important, as money is increasingly important in football. Revenues are increasing and everything related to regulation, distribution of money and the financial impact of regulations is dealt with in this group of work.

“We work throughout the year with many meetings and negotiations with interested parties, be it FIFA or UEFA. The people in this working group are experts and work with finances every day. We think about different topics and projects and in these meetings we consolidate everything that is being worked on and decided.”

Celtic are about to embark on an expanded UEFA Champions League format in 2024/25, bringing in more European revenue to the club than ever before.

UEFA’s TV income is increasing by 21% and that’s expected to deliver close to £40m for the Bhoys before even taking into account ticket sales and revenue from four home matches.

It’s crucial that the Bhoys’ voice continues to be represented at the highest levels of decision-making on the European scene and Lawwell’s presence ensures that.