March 9 – The new format of the Champions League after 2024 could be agreed upon within a matter of weeks according to the boss of European Club Association, Andrea Agnelli.
The new-look competition, brokered by UEFA and designed to stave off the threat of a European Super League, will have 36 clubs instead of 32, scrapping the round-robin six-game group phase in favour of teams playing 10 matches, known as the “Swiss system” under which those with differing strengths play each other based on seeding.
Results in these matches would form an overall table which, along with play-offs, would determine qualification for the knockout rounds.
“I would dearly hope that everything would be done within the next couple of weeks,” Agnelli told reporters following the ECA’s general assembly
One sticking point is the European Leagues umbrella group being opposed to the idea of clubs qualifying via historical ‘co-efficient’ rankings rather than sporting criteria based on the most recent domestic season.
Asked to address what the European League regard as a dangerous precedent, Agnelli replied: “Unprecedented events can turn into normality. Some years ago it was unprecedented that not just the champions were allowed in the Champions Cup, and then it became normality.”
But he admitted: “There are details that need to be addressed, one being the access to the competitions. If we have four extra spots, how will these be allocated? But I would say within a couple of weeks everything should be pretty much sorted.”
To get round the increased number of games, Agnelli suggested 20-team leagues such as the English Premier League might look at a reduction.
“The balance we are trying to strike is one-third international [games] to two-third domestic,” he said. “We have countries such as England with the maximum number of games at 53 or 54, Germany is 43. So it’s having a balanced competitive landscape.
“We do think that currently, for competitive balance purposes, 20 teams in leagues – it’s not just the big leagues, but in many leagues – there are too many.”
In his address to the ECA summit, UEFA general secretary Giorgio Marchetti denounced the super league concept.
“Unity can be lost when insidious ideas are pursued under the pretence of survival, growth and business needs,” he said.
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