The Champions League has undergone expansion and reformatting since the early 1990s. A knockout competition from its inception, the group stage was introduced in the 1991-92 season, replacing the traditional quarter-finals and semi-finals. With that came an increase of 12 matches.
Over the years, the competition has expanded as such it is no longer a champions' league. The top four teams from England, Germany, Italy and Spain all qualify directly to the group stage. Uefa have tried to accommodate the growing demands of the elite clubs but they continue to want more.
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| Photo by Steffen Prößdorf |
Uefa have always been worried about a European Super League, the imaginative gun the superclubs hold in their pocket to intimidate the federation into giving them more power. More power means more qualifying places, which means more money.
The group stage has merely become a procession because of this. Clubs in Europe's best leagues have absorbed more money than others through the Champions League becoming a global brand. If you look at the groups, you can pretty much predict that the richest clubs will go through.
Reform to the group stage is needed but the proposals that have been touted are not the solution. They will only serve to make the financial inequality in Europe worse and lessen the spectacle of Europe's premier club competition.
Swiss model
The group stage is to be increased to 36 teams and they will play out the new Swiss model, commonly used in chess that would see each club play 10 games against different seeds. The top eight progress to the last 16 with those finishing between ninth and 24th involved in a play-off to decide the other eight teams.
The Champions League had another longwinded method from 1999-2003 in the second group stage where 144 matches were played to eliminate 24 teams. This new method would make it 180 matches to eliminate only 12 teams. The second group stage was abandoned as it became an overkill, so why is Andrea Agnelli, as chairman of European Clubs Association (ECA), championing this?
The answer is all down to what makes the world go round: money. And as he is chairman of Juventus, a superclub, he is only looking to maximise his club's financial opportunities.
Those in charge of superclubs want more matches against the best teams as that is what the fans crave, apparently. Bayern Munich vs PSG last week was a crazy game down to the jeopardy of knockout football. If they were to play each other on the eighth matchday with both qualified, it would lose all of its appeal.
It was a surprise that when Uefa met on March 30 that the body postponed a vote to ratify the Swiss model. There was a disagreement because the ECA want a greater say in how Champions League broadcast and commercial rights are distributed. Uefa are prepared to hand more power to the clubs even though they have been doing that for 30 years and it has solved nothing.
Impacts
Football, and sport in general, is a meritocracy. Under the old guidelines, teams could only qualify for the Champions League because they finished high enough in their domestic league or won the competition itself. Of the four extra places, two are set to be given to clubs with the highest coefficient who finish in the Europa League or Europa Conference League places. If that was in effect this season, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur would qualify over the champion of a lesser league. They do not deserve their place based on previous campaigns.
As is the case when these reforms are presented, fans are not considered. Four extra matches across Europe would have a severe financial and logistical impact on them being able to attend. A letter by the Football Supporters Europe group to Agnelli has described the plans as "reckless" and "will only make the gap between the rich and the rest bigger".
When they meet again on April 19, the Swiss model will more than likely be approved. Having four extra weeks of Champions League matches puts the Carabao Cup at risk. The EFL Trophy has become a watered-down competition because of the inclusion of under-23s teams. The football calendar is already stretched so those in the Champions League will probably not participate in the domestic competition. It would be a massive loss for clubs lower down the pyramid.
But as we saw with Project Big Picture, the big six do not care. This is Project Big Picture on a continental scale. To John W. Henry or the Glazers, a meaningless match against Barcelona will always be more attractive than a League Cup tie away to Northampton Town.
They have created their European league and will take control the finances of the competition. The Champions League has become a European Super League in all but name.
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