Changes to Champions League & Europa League

[OneTrueLegend]

its being reported on Sky and BBC that the ECA (European Club Association), who represent over 200 clubs, want changes to the top European club competitions, to protect the revenue. If hasn't been announced yet what these would be.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35535729

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...sociation-to-discuss-champions-league-changes

Personally I have thought for a long time that not enough teams from the top leagues in both competitions. Most Champions League and Europa League groups are made up from 2 favourites and 2 whipping boys. Occasionally there is an upset, but usually the favourites qualify for the knock outs, then it gets interesting.

It would be better if there were at least 3 strong teams in each group, teams from the smaller leagues could still qualify, there would just be less of them.

I also don't think teams should drop from the Champions League to the Europa, it really de-values it.

I also think the Thursday night Europa games are a bad idea, they should be Wednesday night, but on a different week to champions league

 

[Kanye]

"There have been suggestions that these clubs should get direct entry into Europe's elite club football tournament, rather than through their domestic league position the previous season."

This is the most shocking bit from the BBC article. You should definitely have to earn your spot.

Clearly Chelsea are behind this.

 

[RaleighBlue]

Kill Europa, bring back the CWC.

Make the CL only Champions.

But nah, this is just a precursor attempt at a Euro Super League that is intended to supplant domestic leagues for global consumption.

 

[Goat]

Smells like elitist claptrap.

Where do we sign?

 

[OneTrueLegend]

I think it would kill the competition, if it was a closed shop.

I like the idea of the CWC coming back, just a straight knock out competition, 32 cup winners from across Europe, takes the cup winners out of the Europa league then

 

[Khalekan]

I also think the Thursday night Europa games are a bad idea, they should be Wednesday night, but on a different week to champions league

I don't think they could designate a separate week for EL matches as it would impact on the domestic progamme in countries and would be impossible to fit in alongside designated international weeks.

But you are right about it not being played of a Thursday night.

The EL suffers greatly as it really is a case of after the Lord Mayor's Show.

So I think they should play the games as a curtain raiser to European weeks.

Play the EL on Tuesday nights and have the CL on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

I am sure that would make the EL not seem like such an afterthought.

 

[Khalekan]

I am also willing to bet this is being instigated by that small coterie of English clubs which have monopolised our representation in the CL almost since its inception.

The rise of Leicester has sent alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, the Pit and the Emirates because the new TV deal already looks to be a paradigm shifter and those top four places are going to be up for grabs on a more regular basis.

At least when City broke the door down it looked, in their eyes, like a one off with just one extra team to worry about.

But now the landscape is changing before their very eyes......and they don't like it up 'em.

 

[OneTrueLegend]

I am also willing to bet this is being instigated by that small coterie of English clubs which have monopolised our representation in the CL almost since its inception.

The rise of Leicester has sent alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, the Pit and the Emirates because the new TV deal already looks to be a paradigm shifter and those top four places are going to be up for grabs on a more regular basis.

At least when City broke the door down it looked, in their eyes, like a one off with just one extra team to worry about.

But now the landscape is changing before their very eyes......and they don't like it up 'em.

I think this is really be instigated by the old "G-14". It has long been mentioned that the top European teams, outside of the premier league, don't like the fact that the premier league earns so much money. They are scared and possibly correctly that with this new premier league TV deal, they won't be able to compete financially, with most sides from the premier league.

European teams, outside the premiership, have talked before about a proper European super league, 20 top teams, by invitation only, a closed shop, like in American sports

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...to-replace-the-champions-league-a3155766.html

 

[OneTrueLegend]

Reading the article below, which seems to state that the other European teams are looking for a way to compete financially with the premier league, I can see one of two things happening;

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/european-super-league-would-make-6983027

Either the countries outside of the premier league will create their own European super league, separate from what is existing, consisting of the top teams from around Europe, all playing against each other, but probably by invitation, not through qualification.

Or they will look to rework the Champions League and Europa League in some way. I have thought about this and thought you could create a new competition. By combining the top teams in the top 14 leagues (based on Coefficients) and having some qualify from the lesser nations, you could create a 64 team tournament.

Starting with 16 groups of 4 teams, all play each other twice.
The 1st placed team from each group then goes through to the last 16 - To play for the European Cup (current champions league Trophy)
The 2nd and 3rd placed team from each group go into the last 32 - to play for the Uefa Cup (Current Europa League)
The 4th placed team is eliminated

The benefit of this type of tournament is that;

• You would get more variation of the teams playing each other
• It would be more competitive, because there would be more higher ranked teams facing each other in the group stages
• Based on the current Coefficient the number of teams that would qualify, would be form these counties;

Spain 6
Germany 6
England 6
Italy 5
France 5
Portugal 5
Russia 3
Ukraine 3
Belgium 3
Netherlands 3
Turkey 3
Switzerland 2
Czech Rep 2
Greece 2
Other (through Qualification) 10

• For these top 14 countries it gives them more opportunities to qualify for the top European competition

The negatives would be;

• For the other 40 Uefa members, who would be fighting it out for 10 places

I would also look at bringing back the Cup Winners Cup, as a 32 team knock out, that way each country could increase their overall coefficients and the winner of the CWC, could have a place in the following year's European Super League

 

[dandydan]

Kill Europa, bring back the CWC.

Make the CL only Champions.

But nah, this is just a precursor attempt at a Euro Super League that is intended to supplant domestic leagues for global consumption.

That's the long term goal for the big boys

 

[Khalekan]

That's the long term goal for the big boys

It has been a "long term goal" since I was a boy way back in the 20th.

It has never happened and it never will.

 

[Jacko93]

Just go back to how it was beards ago. CWC, European Cup and a Champions Cup if you must. But it HAS to be Champions and runners up only.

As if they don't make enough money anyway yet the only reason that they are looking to change anything is to make it bring in more money.

 

[dandydan]

It has been a "long term goal" since I was a boy way back in the 20th.

It has never happened and it never will.

Money talks, imagine if the top 20 clubs could get their own TV deal.

 

[Jags..class]

Money talks, imagine if the top 20 clubs could get their own TV deal.

They still need other teams to play, if man u were going off and creating their own TV deal then the rest of the teams would form away and kick man u out of the league

 

[Khalekan]

Money talks, imagine if the top 20 clubs could get their own TV deal.

I would say the TV companies would pay more for the EPL than a European super league.

The EPL has more worldwide appeal than the CL and English clubs in particular would likely lose money if such a beast was to be born and they joined it.

Let's be honest.....outside of two Spanish clubs and one German club, it is hard to see TV viewers in SE Asia, for example, finding more attraction in a blown up CL than the unpredictable fayre thrown up on their screens from England every week.