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ECA Ukraine Relief Fund Has Delivered On Its Last Round Of Projects

ECA Ukraine Relief Fund Has Delivered On Its Last Round Of Projects

After 15 months making a difference to the lives of refugees across Europe, ECA’s €1million Ukraine Relief Fund has delivered on its last round of projects. The ground-breaking fund was announced at the General Assembly in March 2022, by ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, who said the seven-figure sum would be available to support clubs’ efforts in assisting the Ukrainian refugees, while many also offered to find a safe place for Ukrainian young football players.

ECA Chairman told clubs gathered in Vienna that football could be a positive social force to help the Ukrainian people.

Since then, 30 projects have benefited from the fund, which has been managed through an ECA Relief Committee chaired by ECA Vice-Chairman Dariusz Mioduski.

The third and final round of projects were:

  • FC Shakhtar Donetsk
  • FC Vast (Football Club Mykolaiv)
  • FSC Mariupol
  • MFC Metalurg
  • Skoruk FC

Together this means a total of 24 clubs have been part of the innovative scheme, with clubs initially applying for donations of between €25,000 and €50,000. The aim has been to provide real and effective humanitarian and emergency actions to provide support and opportunities for the integration and development of refugees affected by the war.

ECA partnered with the UEFA Foundation for Children in order to implement this humanitarian project, in advance of establishing a dedicated ECA Foundation which is part of the Association’s future plans.

During the initial two rounds of the project, the ECA Ukraine Relief Fund demonstrated its dedication to creating tangible positive change in the lives of Ukrainian refugees. Through the support of the participating member clubs, a diverse range of projects were delivered, including in the four main areas highlighted below:

  • Emergency Humanitarian Assistance: The fund facilitated the distribution of essential supplies, such as food, clean water, clothing, and medical aid, to affected communities. These efforts significantly contributed to easing immediate difficulties.
  • Education and Skill Development: Recognising the significance of education in times of crisis, the fund supported initiatives that provided access to quality education and training for refugee children. These educational programmes aimed to empower individuals with knowledge and skills for a brighter future.
  • Shelter and Infrastructure: The fund played an active role in the construction and renovation of shelters to provide safe living environments for displaced families.
  • Psychosocial Support: Addressing the emotional and psychological impact of displacement, the fund supported therapy services, fostering emotional well-being among those affected.

Commenting on the allocation of the remaining funds to the clubs, Dariusz Mioduski, ECA Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the ECA Relief Committee, said:

“At ECA we are all engaged in assisting clubs and allowing them to continue their excellent work in supporting Ukrainian children and families displaced by this tragic war, started by the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The allocation of the remaining funds to the last five projects is the right moment for me to thank once again all the clubs and individuals involved for their dedication and hard work. In total thirty projects have benefitted from the ECA Ukraine Relief Fund and their work will continue.

“I would also like to thank my colleagues on the ECA Relief Committee for their time and support in delivering this important work. Thanks to their efforts we have been able to contribute and make a difference to those families and individuals whose lives have been so tragically affected by this conflict, which unfortunately is ongoing.”


The list of all the approved projects, including the ones from the third round, are:

  • AC Sparta Praha
  • AS Trencin
  • Athletic Club
  • Celtic FC
  • FC Chikhura Sachkhere
  • FC Shakhtar Donetsk
  • FC Slovan Liberec
  • FC Vast (Football Club Mykolaiv)
  • FC Veres Rivne
  • FC Zimbru
  • FSC Mariupol
  • GNK Dinamo Zagreb
  • Heart of Midlothian FC
  • Legia Warszawa
  • Maccabi Haifa F.C
  • MFC Metalurg
  • Nõmme Kalju FC
  • SJK Seinäjoki
  • SK Slavia Praha
  • SK Slovan Bratislava
  • Skoruk FC
  • Sporting Clube de Portugal
  • Trabzonspor AS
  • Wisla Kraków

Eleven tips for dealing with hot conditions in professional football

Eleven tips for dealing with hot conditions in professional football
  • Report released with guidelines and mitigation strategies for hot conditions in professional football

  • Series of studies show national team players unanimously agreed that hot and humid conditions made performance difficult during matches

  • Eleven 'Hot Tips' that should be considered by governing bodies, competition organisers, and more to better protect players’ health

FIFPRO has released a report with guidelines and mitigation strategies for hot conditions in professional football.

Following several high-profile international competitions played in hot conditions, a series of cross-sectional studies showed that national team players and managers unanimously agreed that hot and humid conditions made performance difficult during these matches.

The report contains 11 ‘Hot Tips’ that should be considered by governing bodies, competition organisers, clubs, staff members and players to better protect players’ health.

“The human body maintains a constant core temperature that usually ranges from 36.1°C to 37.8°C – and in extreme heat, players are at risk of suffering from heat-stress disorders such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat strokes,” said FIFPRO’s Chief Medical Officer Prof Dr Vincent Gouttebarge.

“To prevent or mitigate this risk and thus to protect players’ performance and health, better guidelines relying on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), or on the ambient temperature, should be implemented and enforced.”

FIFPRO’s position on extreme heat

At present, FIFA guidelines state that if there is a WGBT of more than 32°C (89.6°F) cooling breaks are mandatory in both halves of a match, around the 30th minute and 75th minute. The decision on whether to suspend or cancel the match is at the discretion of competition organisers.

FIFPRO believes that these guidelines do not do enough to protect the health and performance of players and recommend among other things that if there is a WBGT between 28-32°C, cooling breaks should take place around the 30th minute and 75th minute. If there is a WBGT of more than 32°C, training and matches should be rescheduled.

FIFPRO’s 11 Hot Tips

  1. Heat guidelines should be adopted and respected by football stakeholders, clubs and national teams for matches and training and embedded within regulations (e.g., minimum medical requirements, laws of the games, collective bargaining agreement for national competitions; FIFA competition regulations, social dialogue).

  2. Heat guidelines should refer to thresholds for WBGT (especially in elite professional football) and ambient (in case a WBGT measurement device is unavailable) temperature to increase their understanding and global implementation across all levels of professional football.

  3. A WBGT above 26°C (or ambient temperature above 30°C) should warrant cooling breaks during matches (e.g., at approximately 30 minutes in each half of a match).

  4. A WBGT above 28°C (or ambient temperature above 36°C) should lead to the delay or postponement of matches until conditions for players and officials (and fans) are safer.

  5. WBGT (and/or ambient temperature) should be measured on-site before each match and training session (e.g., two hours), and consultation between key stakeholders (e.g., players, coaches, match officials, team physicians) about potential risks should occur.

  6. National and local weather forecasts should monitor the weather conditions (e.g., at least five days before each match) and estimate potential hot conditions to schedule matches (and training) optimally and provide players with a safe environment.

  7. Next to additional cooling breaks, other mitigation strategies (e.g., heat acclimation/acclimatisation, cooling methods, easy availability of cool drinks all around the football field) should be planned and used for matches and training, with responsibility for their implementation resting with teams and individuals involved.

  8. Stakeholders (international, continental, national) and television broadcasting companies should not schedule matches at the hottest time of day, that means avoiding mid-day or afternoon matches (i.e., full sunshine) where high WBGT is most likely.

  9. A (inter)national registry of heat-related collapses and/or deaths should be developed to assess their prevalence, explore the underlying contributing factors, and improve existing guidelines and mitigation strategies.

  10. While players’ responses (e.g., physiological, cognitive) when exercising in hot conditions have been extensively studied, more research is needed to understand (i) how thresholds (WBGT and/or ambient temperature) in heat guidelines could evolve, (ii) how mitigation strategies, including potential modification of the laws of the game and heat acclimation/acclimatisation, could be optimally implemented and enforced in practice, and (iii) how new technologies might enable the assessment of personal factors (e.g., metabolic rate, thermoregulatory function) and contribute to the prediction of the risk of heat-related illnesses.

  11. Particular attention should be given to female and youth players with regard to individual responses when exercising in hot conditions or when it comes to avoiding television broadcasts of their matches at mid-day or in the afternoon (i.e., full sunshine).

Gianni Infantino hails transformational FIFA Women's World Cup™

Gianni Infantino hails transformational FIFA Women's World Cup™

Gianni Infantino has said that the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ has transformed the face of women's football and appealed to governments, member associations, broadcasters and media to help keep the momentum going towards equality once the tournament ends on Sunday.

Speaking at the opening of the Second FIFA Women's Football Convention in Sydney, the FIFA President thanked Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand for co-hosting "simply the best and greatest and biggest FIFA Women's World Cup ever".

"This FIFA Women's World Cup has been truly transformational, not only in Australia and New Zealand but all over the world," he said. "In the host countries, we had almost two million spectators in the stadiums -- full houses everywhere -- and two billion watching all over the world --- and not just watching their own country but watching the World Cup, because it’s an event [where] I don’t just watch my team . It's great sport, it's entertaining and people love it."

"We have to thank and congratulate Australia and New Zealand because without them this would not have been as magical."

Australia’s Minister for Sport Anika Wells echoed the FIFA President’s comment. “While this is almost the end for this [FIFA] Women’s World Cup, it is only the start of a new era for sport in Australia. The sleeping giant has awoken,” she said. “In Australia, this FIFA Women’s World Cup has not just changed women’s football; it has changed women’s sport. Australia is now a football country. 

“I want to thank FIFA for what you have done to accelerate the pursuit of gender equality in our country.”

The FIFA President said there was still much to do and urged FIFA’s partners to contribute. "We need everyone. We need the UN agencies, who have been very helpful to us in this World Cup, participating with us. We need the governments, we need the institutions, to create dedicated spaces for women, and for women’s sport and women’s football in particular, of course. We need the partners, the sponsors to pay a fair price. We need the media,” Mr Infantino said.

He asked broadcasters “to pay a fair price for women's football, not just for the (FIFA Women’s) World Cup, but for women's football in general, in all the countries, all the leagues, in all the competitions”. 

The FIFA President urged FIFA's member associations to ensure that they organise women’s leagues, pointing out that some of the players who had starred at the tournament would not have any competitive football to go home to.

"(Female players) cannot all go to play in a few clubs in Europe or the USA. We need in the next four years to create the conditions for them to be able to play at professional level at home and this is the biggest challenge we have to take on board," he said.

Mr Infantino added that the tournament's success had supported the decision to enlarge the tournament from 24 to 32 teams. "FIFA was right," he said. "By increasing number of teams, we had eight debutants, we had many countries who suddenly realised they had a chance to participate. Now, everyone has a chance to shine on the global stage."

The tournament had showed that standards were rising while the tournament had generated USD 570 million, allowing it to break even, he said.

In concluding, the FIFA President also appealed to the assembled audience to act at all levels: "We have to start treating women and men in the same way. I say to all the women that you have the power to change. With FIFA, you will find open doors, just push the doors, they are open. And do it at national level in every country, at continental level in every confederation, just keep pushing, keep the momentum going, keep dreaming and let’s really go for a full equality."