By Andrew Warshaw
October 7 – Leading leagues across Europe say they have won vital concessions from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin over plans to revamp the Champions League.
Under the three-season deal struck between UEFA and the European Club Association and starting in 2018, more group stage places will be set aside for teams from the top four leagues and fewer for clubs from smaller leagues, partly in order to stave off a much-threatened European Super League. Additionally, a club’s coefficient in terms of how it has performed historically in European competition will determine how much money it receives.
Earlier this week, the 25-strong European Professional Football Leagues repeated its warning that the new format was the first step on a slippery slope towards a closed-shop competition and that unless it is amended, domestic league games could go head-to-head head with UEFA club competitions on the same night, something that until now has been outlawed.
But that now seems less likely following urgent face-to-face talks between Ceferin and EPFL chief Lars-Christer Olsson.
In a statement, the EPFL said Thursday’s meeting was “very fruitful” and that both parties “openly discussed how future cooperation could be improved and lead to a better exchange of information as well as a constructive development of stakeholder involvement in UEFA decision-making bodies and processes.”
Hinting that more money will go to the smaller clubs, the statement added: “The financial distribution to clubs eliminated during the qualification phase or not participating in European competitions at all is very important for the development of club football in all member associations and the mechanism for such solidarity distribution is one of the issues that needs to be thoroughly looked at.”
“The meeting, held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, represents the starting point of a new era of cooperation between the EPFL and UEFA, which will be beneficial for the good of our game in Europe and beyond.”
Olsson later told Insideworldfootball that it was now “less likely” his members would tear up their Memorandum of Understanding with UEFA when they meet at their annual assembly on October 21. “I can’t give you specifics but there will be compromises,” said Olsson. “We need more certainty in the next few weeks but I am much more confident than before that adjustments will be made. The UEFA president was certainly sympathetic to our cause.”
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