Kieran Maguire drops ‘incredible’ Aston Villa verdict as source reveals European talks
Aston Villa face an ‘incredible challenge’ to establish themselves as an elite voice in European football.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Villa’s plans to join the newly-formed Union of European Clubs.
A new Union of European Clubs (UEC) was formed in April, with the group stating that it aims to ‘represent small and medium-sized football clubs in a sport dominated by a rich elite’.
Villa are among hundreds of clubs invited to join the union, and the Premier League side were one of five English clubs represented at the official launch in Brussels.
There was a growing concern that participation in the UEC could cause issues for any clubs also actively involved with the European Club Association (ECA) – such as Villa – but Football Insider sources revealed that involvement is not likely to jeopardise membership with the ECA.
Villa are one of 330 ECA members, but only eight per cent of involved clubs have voting rights.
Maguire believes it is a ‘logical step’ for Villa to increase their voice in European football.
“It is understandable that Aston Villa – as one of the middle classes in English football – would want to have their voice represented at a European level,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“Therefore, joining the Union of European Clubs (UEC) is a logical step as far as the club is concerned.
“Whether the UEC can make much progress is questionable given that Uefa has very close relationships with the European Club Association (ECA).
“You only have to look at the head of Paris Saint-Germain, who is on the board of Uefa, the Qatari Sports investment fund and Bein Sports, to recognise that relationships at this level can be very close-knit.
“It will be an incredible challenge to infiltrate that as a new voice as far as Aston Villa are concerned.“
In other news, Aston Villa board are ‘targeting fans’ after £36m twist