Champions League Restructure

[dylan.]

The format of the Champions League is set to change in 2024 with plans now reportedly at an advanced stage.

The new format will consist of four leagues with eight teams in each league. The bottom two clubs each year will be "relegated" and replaced by the semi-finalists from the Europa League and four sides who have registered high-placed finished in their domestic league.

If this system had been in place in 2015-16 when Leicester City came from nowhere to win the title then Claudio Ranieri’s team would not have automatically earned a Champions League spot. They would have had to play in a pre-qualifying tournament or take up a place in the Europa League.

Manchester United finished fifth in Leicester’s glorious campaign but if they were already in the 32-team Champions League and managed to finish in the top six of their group then they would have retained their place. Domestic achievement will become almost incidental. The integrity of the top flight will be threatened.

This could have serious implications for Everton and English football as a whole.

Full story here (via The Independent)

 

[anton66]

It’s never been a league for champions.

 

[alvinh]

Farcical.

 

[toffeejack]

Haha, don't even need to read the article to realise how pathetic this is. It's bad enough that the same teams qualify every year anyway.

Ask any neutral and they were chuffed that year Leicester won it, much better than the status quo of winners. It gave fans optimism to dream again, that anything was possible. That's why sport is so great, this is pathetic.

 

[KaiserEFC]

So when your big teams miss out on qualification because they drop the ball it won’t matter because they’ll just enter later on? People will give up with this farce eventually

 

[PhilM]

Any coincidence that this will de facto create the desired ‘super league’ that certain clubs, which this system will protect, have been asking for?

I think not.

 

[sbbefc]

So when your big teams miss out on qualification because they drop the ball it won’t matter because they’ll just enter later on? People will give up with this farce eventually

They wont though, the majority of the world are only interested in a handful of big European clubs and the big matches. UEFA know this.

 

[Deleted member 38674]

Money makes the world go round. TV money and viewing figures are key to achieving large sponsorship deals too.

With the greatest of respect to Leicester, the Champions League is a stronger, more watchable and more valuable commodity (from a financial perspective, at least) with Manchester United in there.

Everyone loves an underdog so however the format looks, it will ensure that the Leicesters of this world get their chance. But it will also mean that the biggest brands (and thus the competition) get added protection so that they can demand those huge sponsorship deals.

It does compromise the sporting element of the competition somewhat, will be interesting to see if all these talks come to fruition and how it eventually looks.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Just call it elite league a and elite league b.

 

[Blueclouds]

Crap

 

[KaiserEFC]

They wont though, the majority of the world are only interested in a handful of big European clubs and the big matches. UEFA know this.

Fair point I still hang onto the dream that your average real football fan still means something despite everything suggesting otherwise

 

[davek]

The CL has been devalued for years. Real Madrid have been the last great team to win it...and they were only great about five yeras ago....and kept on winning it when they were well past it.

The last 8 in the EL are about the same level as the last 8 in the CL now.

Time it was all merged and called something else.

 

[davek]

...oh, and the PL is easily more prestigious than any CL or EL...or any top Euro domestic league.


The world knows this now.

 

[Yarrgh]

Fair point I still hang onto the dream that your average real football fan still means something despite everything suggesting otherwise

You foolish old romantic.

 

[chrismpw]

Interest level in the runners up league = 0

Interest on a knock out competition amongst actual champions = enormous

Glad I'm not young and so I've lived through some footballing nirvana.