By Andrew Warshaw
October 22 – Bemoaning the fact that Europe’s top 14 clubs pocket around half the revenue on offer from the Champions league, the umbrella organisation for Europe’s major leagues have renewed their call to UEFA to impose greater competitive balance between the haves and have-nots.
The Association of European Leagues (AEL), which comprises 35 leagues in 28 countries, have urged UEFA to distribute Champions League prize money far more fairly and to reverse the recent decision to give four guaranteed Champions League group-stage places to Spain, England, Italy and Germany.
Responding to UEFA’s plans for the period 2021-24, a statement following last Friday’s AEL assembly in Frankfurt said “the vast majority of members of the European Leagues” support a return to three guaranteed places for each of the big four leagues.
They also want UEFA to scrap the highly controversial rule which rewards clubs financially for their historical success record even though they may not have won a title for ages.
Access to European places, the statement added, “must always be based on the latest performance of clubs in their respective domestic top tier league competition and/or domestic cup,” although they make an exception for current European trophy holders.
Finally the leagues want UEFA to help close the wealth gap by increasing payments to clubs which do not qualify for European competitions. “Solidarity payments should be significantly increased to help reduce the increasing financial gap in European club football.”
UEFA recently announced a 32-team group stages in the Champions League, Europa League, and an as yet unnamed third tournament for lower-league clubs which should be clarified at UEFA’s executive committee meeting in early December.
The leagues say they support this format but that it does not go far enough.
“Like UEFA we are competition organisers,” AEL general secretary Georg Pangl told a news conference after last week’s assembly. “We stand for competitive balance. A change is necessary. We have to act now.”
Jacco Swart of the Dutch league added: “We believe that a decision on the whole model of European club competitions for the new (21-24) cycle can only be made after proper consultation. Access to every UEFA club competition must always come from sporting results in respective domestic competitions.”
“The introduction of the historical co-efficient must be removed while the total percentage of solidarity payments must significantly increase to help reduce the increasing financial gap in European club football… not to raise the salary of players or take on an extra striker but to work on things like youth development.”
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