The UEFA Champions League final is fast approaching with Liverpool and Tottenham clashing for the most prized trophy in club football. Supporters all over the world are eagerly anticipating the fixture and the inevitable drama that is bound to unfold. Fans can visit buffalo slots and wager on the team they predict will win the Champions League this season.
Since the European Cup was re-branded as the Champions League in 1992, it has been the premier club football competition. It even rivals top-level international competitions as fans, sponsors, and clubs all clamour to be a part of it.
UEFA, seeing the allure that the tournament has, is considering altering the tournament. The European football governing body wants to make changes to the tournament’s format that would have major implications across Europe.
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Champions League Proposals
The new version on the tournament would be very much different than the Champions League we know and love currently. The tournament would add promotion and relegation to its format and games would be played on the weekends rather than in midweek. This would force leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga, and Bundesliga to play matches during the middle of the week.
UEFA is also considering a change to qualification and increasing the number of matches teams play in the group stage. The increase in fixtures would mean more club and international football for top players, which ultimately could have a greater negative affect on the quality of football played.
According to the Financial Times, only a quarter of the teams playing in the Champions League would qualify through their league position. The rest of the places would be made up of teams based on their status as a big or elite football clubs.
A re-vamped version of the Champions League could be introduced as early as the 2024-25 season.
There have been rumours of another Champions League-esque tournament being created by UEFA. Dubbed The Super League, the tournament would have 11 “elite” European football teams competing for the competition’s trophy. News of The Super League was first detailed by German newspaper Der Spiegel, and reports claim the tournament could start as early as 2021.
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What have reactions been to a Champions League re-vamp proposals?
Domestic football competitions have hit out against a dramatic re-vamp of the competition. One of the major issues that has been presented by domestic football governing bodies is UEFA matches being played on weekends.
The Premier League in particular is unhappy about UEFA attempting to alter the league’s structure and when matches take place. The French Football Federation has also criticised a re-vamped Champions League and the financial issues it would cause with the game on home soil.
According to La Liga President Javier Tebas, changes to the Champions League would result in the richest clubs in Europe getting richer.
A restructured Champions League would not only put more money into the pockets of rich clubs, but it would pit domestic leagues against the European competition. Despite the concerns of leagues across Europe, UEFA maintains the Champions has needed to be re-vamped for well over two decades.
