June 12 – European clubs are reported to be urging UEFA to come up with a different proposal for the Champions League in order to avoid it becoming a mainly closed competition.
With Italian clubs the latest to protest against plans by UEFA – backed by the European Club Association – to overhaul the competition post-2024, the Times newspaper says an alternative format has now been proposed to prevent only a few spots being available for qualifying through domestic leagues.
The report says that the alternative proposal being put forward could see the existing 32-team competition expanded at the group stage to 40 or 48 teams with eight games played as opposed to the current six.
The alternative proposal is likely to form part of a crucial summit on September 11 between clubs, leagues and UEFA and last week ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli called for patience on all sides.
“We don’t have all the answers, nothing is set in stone and it’s going to be a long process, maybe a matter of months,” before it is established exactly how the various UEFA competitions will look, he said.
“We have time ahead of us. All the clubs have now seen our vision, understand what is being debated and that we are committed to an open and honest consultation process.”
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