February 8 – UEFA’s plans for a new-look Champions League from 2024 to offset the threat of a breakaway super league are a cause for strong concern, according to the body representing domestic leagues across Europe.
The new format is for a single 36-team league, known as the ‘Swiss system’, to replace the current group stage, with every team playing 10 matches.
In order to do this, four additional games will have to be accommodated in an already congested calendar.
Members of the European Leagues grouping – comprising 30 different countries – met on Friday to discuss the proposals, and while it welcomed some aspects of UEFA’s plan, it also had some serious misgivings.
“The European Leagues have raised strong concerns about more matchdays in such a flexible system in an already very congested calendar,” the group’s statement read.
The body has been adamant that any new system must maintain competitive balance within domestic competitions and not allow the qualification process to favour heavyweight teams with historical success records, which is what UEFA’s blueprint will apparently do for as many as three entries.
“(The European Leagues) also questioned the possible impact of access as well as commercial components on the sporting and financial balance of domestic leagues,” the statement added.
But the group admitted that that the recommendations being put forward were “an improvement compared to the more radical proposals that emerged in 2019” which would have been tantamount to a closed shop with possible weekend fixtures.
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