August 14 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says sweeping changes will have to be made to Financial Fair Play rules in the wake of Manchester City’s successful appeal against a ban from the Champions League.
But he made it clear that European football must not be dominated by the elite few super-rich clubs saying the lack of competitive balance in the European game threatened to eventually “kill football” if it is allowed to continue.
“It is not just about that decision,” Ceferin told AFP when asked about City managing to overturn their two-year Champions League ban for “serious breaches” when they appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Both City and Paris St Germain are operated by rival cash-rich Gulf-based owners. And both of them have now won cases against being hit with FFP sanctions.
“Financial Fair Play was a very successful tool, because the losses in European football are almost gone, but we have to modernise,” Ceferin said. “We have to start thinking where we go from here, not just because of this case. Times change.”
“Competitive balance means that we have to see if the ones who spend too much have to pay for the ones who don’t.”
Although it has generated considerable excitement, Ceferin believes the one-off ‘Final Eight’ format for this season’s climax to the Champions League, currently under way in Lisbon, will not be repeated in future, saying it is “impossible” to find space in an already packed calendar.
“This tournament might be interesting in the future, but I don’t think we can do it, because the calendar is so dense,” he said.
“I don’t know where I can put a tournament for a week or two in May. I think it’s impossible.”
Ceferin also hopes fans might be allowed back into games at some stage next season.
“I am optimistic by nature, and I think that things will get better into next year and we will have normal football back, good old football with spectators,” he said.
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