UEFA has been slowed to deliver the green light in a new, expanded Champions League format, which will include the first leg of ten matches from 2024.
The proposal, which includes the removal of the current group stage format, has been under discussion for almost two years and is expected to be approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the European Football Governing Body on Wednesday.
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The number of Champions League matches per season can be increased from 125 to 225 over the 2024-25 season
However, a decision has now been pushed back on 19 April amid protests against the scheduled changes.
The governing body said in a statement: “After various media requests over the past few days, UEFA can confirm that an executive committee meeting will be held tomorrow, Wednesday 31 March, and the future of the competitions to be held after 2024 Is the subject included.
“However, any official decision in this regard will be taken only at the next meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee on 19 April to finalize the ongoing discussions. “
As part of the proposed overhaul, the number of applicants will be reduced from 32 to 36.
Each team will play ten games per seed in opposition to different strengths according to the so-called “Swiss model”.
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Bayern Munich won the Champions League last season
The results would make a league table and the top eight advance to the knockout stage, while the teams that finished 24th to ninth would enter a play-off round.
Two of the four new qualifying places created will be reserved for the “wild card” club with the highest UEFA coefficients – based on previous European successes – who were not eligible for the competition due to their position in the championship.
This effectively creates a ‘safety net’ for European heavyweight clubs in the event of a poor season, and is seen as a major concern for the Premier League, which is concerned that it would make the teams the best-placed teams Will skip. European competition in a more attractive position.
If this format is used now, Liverpool will earn a Champions League spot despite finishing seventh in the Premier League, as it is in the current table.
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Liverpool is one of the great teams that will benefit massively from the new “wild card” rule, with historic teams being awarded the Champions League, even if their season is poor.
So this would be good news for elite clubs and former European champions, but UEFA has been warned that the move “values history rather than the merits of the game” and puts supporters at risk of “losing entire generations”.
These reform plans will represent the most significant changes in the Champions League in decades, moving the number of matches from 125 in the new format to an incredible 225 starting in the 2024-25 season.
But the news did not turn out well on TalkSport on Tuesday afternoon, as host Jim White criticized UEFA for “arrogance” in prioritizing history over success.
And vocal expert Simon Jordan accused UEFA of being purely financially motivated to want elite Champions League teams regardless of their performance.
TalkSport host White said, “Arrogance of this one!
“There will be Premier League clubs that do not measure up to the national level, how can they come in seventh Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Wolves, who take precedence over Scottish champions at Rangers or Celtic?
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The Rangers are the champions of Scotland, but still have to pass qualification to qualify for the Champions League … while Liverpool could go straight despite finishing seventh in their stand.
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Simon Jordan accused UEFA of thinking only about money with its new Champions League format
“How can we have this kind of situation?” Will the Scottish champions have to go through the qualifying process yet, when will the club with history win?
“Is that right? How fair is that?
“It’s not fair,” said former Crystal Palace owner Jordan.
“For UEFA, this is Ker-Ching. It is a question of money.
“The Arsenal brand, for example, has greater value for the Rangers of this world and to a lesser extent broadcasters for Celtic.
“Don’t ask me why, but they do.”
Continents ‘leagues and associations have also expressed concern about the logistics of hosting these extra matches, and Football Supporters of Europe (FSE) insists they come at a time when football fans’ finances are affected by coronoviruses. Is crushed by. Ubiquitous epidemic.
“In the current financial environment, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to afford more and more games,” executive director Ronan Evan told German broadcaster D.W.
“We will potentially lose entire generations.
“It opens the door to qualifying the game as much more dangerous – based on history rather than merit.”
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