European Leagues president urges UEFA to reject Champions League plan that would create 'super league'
The association of Europe’s soccer leagues is not happy with a Champions League proposal it believes would result in a “super league,” according to The Guardian.
European Leagues president Lars-Christer Olsson claims that UEFA showed his organization plans that would result in the Champions League being reshaped to permanently include 24 of the richest clubs in the sport. Those teams would be chosen based on “their ranking in their national leagues over the four previous seasons,” according to the Guardian.
Four other clubs would make it into the Champions League through the qualifying rounds under the proposal, and the new format would begin in 2024.
Olsson has urged the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to reject that proposal, claiming it only exists to make the rich even richer:
“There has been huge opposition from our member leagues and clubs across Europe, from supporters and increasingly now from national associations, telling UEFA that this closed shop is a proposal for the richest clubs to get even wealthier. This is an attempt to form a super league, absolutely.”
UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA) have not confirmed the proposal, though the two sides are talking. UEFA confirmed it had a “brainstorming session” with the ECA in March.
Instead of a complete reorganization, Olsson proposes the UEFA do a better job redistributing revenue in an attempt to create competitive balance within the sport. He argues the top teams in the sport already receive too much money as part of the current system.
Clubs will have a chance to express their frustrations to the ECA soon. The association is meeting with clubs Thursday and Friday to discuss possible format changes.
About a year ago, Der Spiegel in Germany released documents that five Premier League clubs and 11 total clubs were proposing a “super league” to begin play in 2021. That specific idea has faded away, but clearly the broader notion isn’t going away anytime soon.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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