2nd European Football Fans' Congress

Football Supporters Europe launched at the 2nd EFFC

Posted 23/7/09

Football fans launch first-ever independent, democratic and representative European Fans’ organisation
In Hamburg over the weekend of July 18th and 19st, representatives of football supporters from across Europe met at the second European Football Fans’ Congress to launch for the first time a legally-constituted, Europe-wide, independent, democratic and representative football fans organisation.

Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has been established to provide a representative collective voice for football fans and their organisations towards football and governmental authorities at European level. The conference, attended by more than 350 representatives from 29 countries representing some two million football fans, agreed on statutes and structures for the new organisation, and elected eight of their number to serve on FSE’s executive board.

The elected members are: Kevin Miles and Dave Boyle from England, Emilio Abejón from Spain, Christina Magnussen from Norway, Michal Riecansky from Slovakia, Shay Golub from Israel, the Belgian Dirk Vos and Tam Ferry from Scotland, all of whom are representatives of national fans’ organizations back in their home countries.

It was also announced at the Congress that the FSE is to organise and coordinate, through its Fans’ Embassy Department, a three-year project, “Fans’ Embassies Go East”, to develop the fans’ embassy network with a particular focus on Eastern Europe and Euro2012 in Poland and Ukraine. The project has been generously supported by UEFA, whose Executive Committee has decided to grant the project an overall budget of €500,000.

The event was organized in cooperation with the HSV Supporters Club, several fans’ groups of FC St.Pauli and together with both fans’ projects and the clubs themselves. Several workshops took place on topics such as “Kick-off times”, “Policing in football”, “Club licensing” or “Involvement of minority groups in football fan culture”, the results of which will be further elaborated and used as a basis for campaigning by working groups after the congress. 

The European Fans’ Congress was also supported by UEFA, whilst the European football association fully acknowledges the independence of the network. William Gaillard, personal advisor to UEFA president Michel Platini, gave the keynote speech. Participation in the congress was free of charge, the congress had been sold out for weeks. 

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