 |
The top four European leagues are reportedly "set to automatically qualify four teams each to the group stage of the Champions League" from '18-19, according to Gabriele Marcotti of ESPN.com. UEFA's exec committee is "expected to approve the measure when it meets later this month," part of a set of changes to the European competition that will be implemented for the cycle from '18-21. The club competition committee, led by Fernando Gomes of the Portuguese Football Federation, had been "involved in tough negotiations for some six months with stakeholders, including a number of clubs from top leagues who threatened to boycott the Champions League if their demands were not met." The additional guaranteed slots "will be agreed as a compromise after UEFA was able to stand firm in denying many of those demands, as well as staving away the threat of a breakaway European Super League" at least through '21. Based on the current UEFA country coefficient ranking, "the four countries who would benefit directly from the measures are Spain, Germany, England and Italy" (
ESPN.com, 8/15).
WANDA RESTRUCTURE: YUTANG SPORTS' Chen Yaping reported Dalian Wanda, led by Wang Jianlin, is rumored "to want to restructure the Champions League." It is understood that Wang aims to reorganize the league’s "pyramid structure that prevents its further development." The Chinese group is "believed to have talked with the management" of various European football leagues. One source claims that the reform "would grow the revenue" of the Champions League by €1B ($1.1B). Wanda is "set to hold a meeting" in October with the management of European football leagues to discuss a suitable reform plan. The source said, "It's a serious issue. It's not about creating a new European league with teams from different leagues, but reorganizing the UEFA Champions League itself" (YUTANG SPORTS, 8/16).
