Article 14 Definition of licence applicant and three-year rule - Club Licensing

UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations

Content Type
Technical Regulations
Category
Specific Regulations
Subject
Club Licensing
Edition
2024
ft:locale
en-GB
Enforcement Date
1 June 2024
14.01

A licence applicant may only be a football club, i.e. a legal entity responsible for a men's football first team participating in national and UEFA club competitions and that either:

  1. is a registered member of a UEFA member association and/or its affiliated league (hereinafter: registered member); or

  2. has a contractual relationship with a registered member (hereinafter: football company).

14.02

By the start of the licence season, the membership and/or the contractual relationship (if any) must have lasted for at least three consecutive seasons. Furthermore, the licence applicant’s men’s football first team must have participated in the official national competitions for men’s football first teams for at least three consecutive seasons (hereinafter: three-year rule).

14.03

Any change to the legal form, legal group structure (including a merger with another entity or transfer of football activities to another entity) or identity (including headquarters, name, crest or colours) of a licence applicant/licensee must be notified to the licensor and UEFA before the start of the licensing process.

14.04

Any change to the legal form, legal group structure (including a merger with another entity or transfer of football activities to another entity) or identity (including headquarters, name, crest or colours) of a licence applicant/licensee that took place within the three seasons preceding the start of the licence season to the detriment of the integrity of a competition, to the detriment of the club’s history and legacy, to facilitate the licence applicant’s qualification for a competition on sporting merit, or to facilitate the licence applicant's receipt of a licence is deemed an interruption of membership or contractual relationship (if any) within the meaning of this provision.

14.05

Exceptions to the three-year rule may be granted by the CFCB in accordance with Annex A.