UEFA have released a statement regarding their plans for the Champions League that will surely be controversial in many quarters.
The proposed change would see relegation and promotion be introduced to the current Champions League format.
Andrea Agnelli, chairman of the ECA and Juventus, said: “We have now launched the process to develop a vision for the future of UEFA Club Competitions post-2024.
“This is the start of a journey that will see further and deep engagement with all professional game stakeholders, prior to reaching any formal decisions.
Photo by Harold Cunningham – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
“There will be a new Super-Champions League in co-operation with UEFA. This is how football should be in the future and the talks will take place between two and 20 months.
“We are talking and in a few months we will see if the new competition will be open for everyone. The process will be open and transparent, as was the meeting with UEFA.
“The dialogue will be open for all the clubs and we will look for a fair system for football and for European clubs, without forgetting all the parties. We are the centrepiece of world football and we must drive change.”
Liverpool would be a club that benefits from the proposed changes but at what cost? As things stand, smaller clubs in Europe would be given the boot in favour of European powerhouses and I believe this would jeopardise the special nature of the Champions League.
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Without the so-called ‘minnows’, the drama of seeing a smaller side beating a bigger side would be gone. The David vs Goliath metaphor would be no longer and smaller sides in Europe would suffer hugely as a result.
While it is technically a positive thing for Liverpool as the Reds are one of the proposed participants in the 20-team format, I still cannot get behind it.
If a spectacle like this has to come at the cost of the current Champions League format then it’s not something I would be in favour of. It would be a great thing to have every four or five years but not every single season.
Everyone expects the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona to win the Champions League but without the smaller sides, there is very little room for shock and drama which the competition thrives on.
What do you make of the proposed Super League plans, Reds?
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