ECA News
The European Club Association is happy to announce that its mediation service has led to a settlement agreement between two member clubs over a financial dispute.
With the creation of the ECA Legal Services back in 2011, the European Club Association decided to meet a particular demand of its member clubs by establishing an ECA Mediation Service. Mediation means a negotiation assisted by an independent third party with the aim to find a solution for a conflict between two parties.
Unlike arbitration (e.g. at sports arbitration bodies), mediation does not aim at judging the case, but rather at helping the parties find an amicable solution which would avoid and put an end to any future/further legal proceedings. Furthermore, mediations are cost and time effective, relationship preserving and completely confidential.
In principle, ECA acting as third independent party hears all financial disputes between member clubs, such as disputes concerning but not limited to training compensation, solidarity distribution mechanism and the execution of transfer agreements.
The ECA Mediation Service falls under the auspices of the ECA Legal Advisory Panel (LAP) chaired by ECA Executive Board Member and CEO of Arsenal FC, Ivan Gazidis. The panel members, all of them highly qualified and experienced sports lawyers and arbitrators, will act as independent and impartial mediators and will be appointed by the LAP Chairman on a case-by-case basis.
Today's successful mediation case was mediated by LAP Member and FC Basel President Bernhard Heusler (Switzerland). It was agreed between the two parties that the content of the settlement agreement remains confidential.
For more information on ECA's Legal Services, visit: www.ecaeurope.com/eca-legal/