Europe’s leading clubs have "denied they are considering forming a breakaway ‘super league’ as discussions about the future of the Champions League continue," according to Samuel Stevens of the London INDEPENDENT. The European Club Association has been holding its 16th general assembly in Paris "with officials from 143 clubs attending." The umbrella body announced a review of the Champions League and Europa League with "the results due in the next 12 months." The ECA said that changes "must be made to help both competitions become more attractive to prospective sponsors and supporters." There have been concerns that Europe's elite clubs will petition for automatic qualification to the Champions League, minimizing the "chances of another footballing fairy-tale like Leicester City's current Premier League campaign" (INDEPENDENT, 2/10). The BBC reported ECA Senior Vice-Chair Umberto Gandini said that a review into the tournament's format would take six to nine months and would look to make the competition "more and more attractive." Gandini said that there was not yet an "understanding" that the Champions League would have to change but added, "We will listen to the main actors of the competition and UEFA itself and find out what is best" (BBC, 2/9).
