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UEFA's Executive Committee has approved the creation of a Club Financial Control Panel in what is a first concrete measure to improve financial fair play in the UEFA club competitions. The decision, taken at the committee's two-day meeting in Copenhagen, follows recommendations by the UEFA Club Licensing Committee and the Professional Football Strategy Council.

Financial and legal experts
At UEFA level, the body will comprise financial and legal experts and will ensure that the club licensing system will be applied correctly. It will be composed of a chairman and up to eight members appointed by the UEFA Executive Committee. "The main task of the panel will be to conduct financial audits on clubs in order to ensure licences were correctly awarded and it may further conduct spot checks, and/or investigations, to ensure that the integrity rules are observed by the clubs," said UEFA on Tuesday.

First concrete measures
"This is the first step to have concrete measures to promote what we call financial fair play," UEFA General Secretary David Taylor told uefa.com. "We already have a club licensing system across Europe – a system based on national licensing by national associations or leagues. We feel that it is important to have something at European level, and [the panel] will look specifically at the finances of clubs and how they are structured. As from next season, this panel will be doing continuous monitoring."

Protection of young players
With regard to the protection of youngsters, a resolution was adopted at the Professional Football Strategy Council meeting in Nyon earlier this month, in which all four groups present (associations, clubs, leagues and players) agreed on the principle that there should be no international transfers of minors – players aged under 18 – either into Europe or within Europe. Click here for further details.

Moral campaign
The Executive Committee agreed that further discussions with FIFA, the Professional Football Strategy Council, the European Union authorities and others should continue on this subject. "This is very much a moral campaign," said Mr Taylor. "UEFA and FIFA are in entire agreement [on the issue] – what we have to do is to talk once more to the European Union about football's unanimous desire [on this]. We want everything to be on the basis of 18 [years of age], and we want to stop the trafficking of young people between countries and particularly between continents."

2016 bidders confirmed
The Executive Committee also approved a request by the UEFA administration to appoint two additional disciplinary inspectors, in a move that will reinforce the UEFA unit in charge of detecting betting fraud activities. The committee also confirmed the list of bidders for hosting UEFA EURO 2016™. The four bidders – France, Italy, Norway/Sweden and Turkey – will now receive official bid requirements on 3 April, and have to complete their bid dossiers for presentation to UEFA by 15 February 2010. The tournament in 2016 will be the first to feature 24 teams.

(Source: UEFA.com)