PL clubs discuss changing CL

[GoonerAlexandre]

The Premier League’s so-called “big five” clubs have admitted meeting to debate changes to the Champions League, amid febrile discussion across Europe about the future of the competition and proposals that could include guaranteed entry for the biggest teams.

While denying reports a breakaway European Super League or replacement for the Champions League was discussed, sources at Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal admitted debating the format.

The admission is another indicator of the wide-ranging changes being discussed at all levels of the game in Europe as clubs jockey for position before an agreement on the format for the next three-year TV contract cycle from 2018 and maximise revenues.

One idea favoured by some European clubs would lead to a two-tier system that would guarantee entry to some of the biggest names in football, while still allowing others to qualify. But despite Manchester United and Liverpool having missed out in recent years, and Chelsea looking set to do so this season, they insist they recognise the race for the Champions League is intrinsic to the Premier League’s appeal.

Some of those who qualify every season because of a lack of competitiveness in their domestic leagues, such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona, would also like to see more attractive matches against bigger-name clubs in the group stages.

After being photographed leaving a London hotel summit called by representatives of the American billionaire Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins owner who developed the pre-season International Champions Cup, they were forced to deny plans for a breakaway.

Insiders from each club insisted they met relatively regularly, often with Tottenham Hotspur also present, and that the majority of the discussion revolved around the ICC. Arsenal was the only club to confirm their position in public but sources at the other four clubs all took a similar line.

“We are strongly opposed to any breakaway. Not Arsenal, nor any clubs at the meeting, are seeking changes to the Premier League and European landscape and no conversations surrounding displacing the Premier League or starting a European Super League took place,” said an Arsenal spokesman. “Discussions were primarily around the ICC and formats of European competitions that would complement the existing Premier League.”

Those seen leaving the meeting were Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman at Old Trafford, the Chelsea chairman, Bruce Buck, Arsenal’s chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, City’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, and the Liverpool chief executive, Ian Ayre.

Ross, an American real estate developer who has an estimated wealth of more than £3bn, last year attempted to buy Formula One as head of a US-Qatari consortium. Relevant Sports, the sports marketing company formed by Ross that is behind the pre-season ICC, is believed to be keen to play a part in any plans to expand the Champions League and win business from Uefa’s partner Team. It declined to comment on Wednesday.

Given that all of the five clubs that met have overseas owners and are endlessly determined to maximise global revenues, there is a sense in which they may be more open than in the past to revolutionary thinking. Uefa has said it is open to proposals about the future of the competition, amid disquiet from clubs outside England about the spending power of Premier League clubs in the wake of their £8.3bn TV deal, but is expected to strongly resist any move to propose qualification should be on anything other than merit.

Clubs in Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal also recently held joint talks about the impact of the negotiations over the future of the Champions League. They are terrified about being frozen out or disadvantaged.

A spokesman for the European Club Association, which unlike the previous elite G14 represents 220 clubs of various sizes, said speculation was natural at this point in negotiations with Uefa. “There’s a lot of discussion around the future of European competitions at the moment, as always ahead of a new competition cycle,” he said. “Discussions are taking place at different levels, but for the moment nothing concrete was brought up at ECA. We are at a very early stage and no final decision is expected before autumn this year.”

The Bayern Munich chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, a former head of the ECA, kickstarted renewed speculation in January when he said a super league was all but inevitable. “In the future, I can see a tournament consisting of 20 teams from Italy, England, Spain, Germany and France.

"It is an idea born some time ago. I see that in the top five leagues in Europe, the big teams are always getting stronger and stronger,” he said. “A super league outside of the Champions League is being born. It will either be led by Uefa or by a separate entity, because there is a limit to how much money can be made.”

Gianni Infantino, then the Uefa general secretary and now the Fifa president, responded: “The Super League already exists. It’s called the Champions League.” But he said Uefa remained open to discussion with clubs over how to “adapt and improve the structures of our competitions”.

The chances of an outright breakaway are considered remote for the same reasons that have always stymied discussion, not least the fact Fifa would be unlikely to sanction any new competition. Given the leadership vacuum at Uefa and the fact concrete proposals are unlikely to be arrived at until the autumn, some ECA insiders believe the next three-year deal covering 2018-19 to 2020-21 may only feature modest format changes with a commitment to a more radical revamp from 2021-22.

The ICC tournament began in 2013 and last year featured Real Madrid, Manchester City, Roma, Milan, Internazionale, Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea, Benfica, Fiorentina and Paris Saint-Germain. The Melbourne lineup for 2016 has just been announced, with Atlético Madrid taking on Tottenham, Juventus and the A-League champions Melbourne Victory at the MCG in July.



http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... ay-meeting

[UFGN]

I would make extensive changes to the CL but not in a way that the money men would like.

For a start, it should be for, er, Champions.....

[Apollo]

^^Would be a horrible spectacle.

Super league is inevitable, its just a matter of when.

[Royal Gooner]

Liverpool have no right to even discuss any changes to the CL.

[Pudpop]

Liverpool have no right to even discuss any changes to the CL.

This is why its funny tbh. If the big teams were guaranteed entry you could argue that no one in the PL deserves that status.

It would be Barca,Real, Bayern and maybe PSG

[CukiZeGerman]

Super league is inevitable, its just a matter of when.

And even then - if the English money bags think that'll change ANYTHING they're deluded

[UFGN]

People have been talking about a European super league for 20 years and it hasn't happened.