ROME (AP) — After 17 years as the European Club Association, the network of hundreds of soccer teams is at peak influence over UEFA in shaping the Champions League – and what might come next for the marquee competition.

So it was time for a name change. From ECA to EFC.

The rebranded European Football Clubs meets in Rome this week at an annual assembly of officials whose collective power negotiating with FIFA and UEFA over elite competitions was never greater.

The ECA was created in 2008 to bring more cooperation, democracy and money to storied teams after their decade of confrontation with international soccer bodies.

There is peace today — restored after the deep rift with UEFA four years ago when an ECA-led group of rebel clubs driven by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus tried, a

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