PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has praised Everton owner Dan Friedkin at the General Assembly of the European Football Clubs institution in Rome.
The Everton and Roma owner hosted the event last month and the words of the chairman of the powerful football group hints at a major shift in Everton’s standing in world football.
The Qatari owner of PSG and Chairman of the European Football Clubs (EFC) institution said: “I would like to give a special thank you to Dan Friedkin. He and his team have done an extraordinary job, and this is the best general meeting in our history. Without him, it wouldn’t have been like this. He’s one of the most elegant people I’ve ever met.”
Friedkin, who is a more hands on owner of Roma but also sits at the top of the ownership structure at Everton, is not just the hotel organiser for the most powerful club body in European football – he is also a board member for the organisation.
It is an exclusive club that includes the CEO of Bayern Munich, the CEO of City Football Group, plus the owners of Atletico Madrid, Celtic, Feyenoord and Malmo among others.
The confusingly-named EFC (well, for Friedkin at least) is the successor to the infamous G12 series of Europe’s most money-hungry clubs and is perhaps the most powerful organisation in football. It also owns a joint venture with UEFA called UC3 that manages broadcast revenues and commercial deals for European competition. It is a venture Friedkin is heavily involved in as his influence grows.
The EFC now boasts 800 club members and is integral to shaping the future of the game when it comes to commercial deals, broadcast revenues and financial fair play rules.
For Everton taking a seat at the top table of European football is important. When leadership is not involved the results are plain to see.
When absent owner Farhad Moshiri plunged Everton into chaos with his financial mismanagement Premier League CEO Richard Masters saw his opportunity. The man who was only appointed as fourth choice after Liverpool and Manchester United were allowed to veto better qualified candidates in shady meetings between the Premier League, John Henry and the Glazer family, saw Everton as an easy target.
With little money and nobody on the board to defend the charges, Masters embarked on a campaign against defenceless Everton. The Premier League recommended a 19 point deduction in total for two breaches of PSR, a total that was reduced drastically by an independent panel.
Nottingham Forest, who breached PSR by more than Everton but had vocal and litigious ownership, secured a lesser points deduction, while Manchester City’s army of lawyers and influence with Masters means they are likely to avoid any sort of sporting sanction for over 115 charges.
The EFC also offers protection against the greed of the breakway clubs who hope to dismantle the historic structure of English football. Led by Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and, laughably, Spurs, in England, the clubs sought to form a closed-off Super League to siphon off money from other clubs and damage English football forever. The clubs received tiny fines for their part in the debacle and this is mostly down to the power the executives wield with the weak Premier League and FA leaders.
The Friedkin Group’s involvement in the EFC allows Everton a vocal place in discussions when the money-hungry owners of the elite clubs sit around the table. It legitimises the club and increases its standing with senior people in the game.
Friedkin’s role with the EFC also means he has a voice in shaping major issues such as multi-club ownership and games being played abroad. That can only be a good thing for Everton who will see their best interests represented at Europe’s top table.