Pedro Proença formally appointed President of the European Leagues

The decision has been ratified at the General Assembly after being appointed by the Board of Directors

Pedro Proença has been elected President of the European Leagues Association after being appointed to the position by the Board of Directors. The decision was formally approved at the body's General Assembly, held on Thursday 30 November.

Pedro Proença's appointment was submitted for approval by the members of the European Leagues, in a process that ensures the legitimacy and representativeness of the leadership vis-à-vis the Leagues, Clubs and also the UEFA Executive Committee.

The mandate marks a new phase in the governance of the European Leagues, now officially consolidated by the ratification of the members. With this confirmation, Pedro Proença, who will accumulate the position with the presidency of Liga Portugal, a post he has held since July 2015, currently serving his third consecutive term, is fully invested in the mission of facing the challenges ahead for the European Leagues and guiding the organisation towards a promising future.

Read the official statement of the European Leagues:

The European Leagues gathered today for an extraordinary General Assembly which formally appointed Pedro Proença as new President of the Association until the end of the current mandate.

Pedro Proença is the President of Liga Portugal, one of the founding members of the European Leagues. He was first elected as President of Liga Portugal in July 2015, to be then re-elected in June 2019 for a second term. In June 2023 he was unanimously confirmed for a third term, thus becoming the first President of Liga Portugal to be elected for three consecutive terms.

In his duties as President of Liga Portugal, Pedro Proença is, inherently, Vice-President of the Portuguese Football Federation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the European Leagues since 2015.

Prior to leading Liga Portugal, Pedro Proença has been FIFA referee between 2003 and 2015 and a member of the UEFA Elite Referees Group since 2009. In 2012 he refereed both UEFA Champions League final and UEFA European Championship final.

With the appointment to President of the European Leagues, Pedro Proença will be nominated by the Leagues’ Association as its representative in UEFA Executive Committee. Formal ratification by UEFA’s executive body shall occur on occasion of the next UEFA Congress to be held in Paris on 8 February 2024.

Claudius Schäfer, CEO of the Swiss Football League, was appointed by the Board as Vice-President.