Club coaches attend UEFA forum

A broad range of European football issues are on the agenda as Europe's leading club coaches come to the House of European Football in Nyon on Wednesday and Thursday for the annual UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum.

The meeting, first held in 1999, is now an established part of the UEFA calendar and takes place at the start of each season. The forum gives the participants the opportunity to put their views forward on current European football matters. In addition, the coaches relish the chance to talk together and exchange ideas away from the everyday pressures of their high-profile jobs. The coaches will review the most recent European club competition season, identify talking points and technical trends, discuss competition issues and look at elite refereeing topics.

UEFA listens to the coaches' opinions as part of its decision-making process, and the European body has implemented proposals that have been made at past forums. Former Manchester United FC manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was appointed as UEFA's coaching ambassador by the UEFA Executive Committee in January, will chair the meeting.

A star-studded list of delegates has been invited, and those who will attend include: Arsène Wenger (Arsenal FC), Luis Enrique (FC Barcelona), Josep Guardiola (FC Bayern München), José Mourinho (Chelsea FC), Jürgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund), Roger Schmidt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City FC), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Míchel (Olympiacos FC), Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid CF), Laurent Blanc (Paris Saint-Germain), Jens Keller (FC Schalke 04), André Villas-Boas (FC Zenit), Jorge Jesus (SL Benfica), Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus), Mircea Lucescu (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Unai Emery (Sevilla FC), Nuno Espírito Santo (Valencia CF), Rafael Benítez (SSC Napoli).

The purpose of the UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum is for those coaches who are involved in UEFA's club competitions to provide feedback on these competitions, and to debate the game's overall development, both on and off the field. Over the years, leading coaches have praised the forum as an important platform for dialogue and exchange.

Coaches are also able to speak about their work in a relaxed and informal setting. The event gives younger coaches the occasion to listen and learn from experienced colleagues – and to become acquainted professionally and personally with their counterparts before they often go on to meet each other at European matches.