Europe's biggest clubs "do not want any more changes to the Champions League in the next few years," they said on Tuesday, promising to avoid a repetition of the "soap opera" which surrounded the competition last year, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. UEFA last year announced "significant changes to the competition" for the '18-21 cycle, rearranging the group-stage slots in favor of the four top-ranked leagues -- in effect Spain, England, Germany and Italy -- "at the expense of the smaller ones." The decision "came amid reports that the biggest clubs had held talks over the creation of a so-called Super League if they did not get their way," and was criticized by some of Europe’s smaller leagues, which said that they "had not been consulted." Juventus President Andrea Agnelli, who was appointed chair of the European Club Association on Tuesday, said that he "did not envisage further changes" for the '21-24 cycle (REUTERS, 9/5).
CLOSING THE GAP: Homewood also reported UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said that "preventing the growing gap between the rich clubs and the rest is the key issue in European football." He said, "Let's put our cards on the table and be honest with ourselves: the biggest challenge over the next few years will be competitive balance. How can we continue to develop football in Europe and avoid widening the huge gulf between the most powerful and the rest? That is the million-dollar question. I am a pragmatist; I am open to any practical suggestion that might benefit European football." Čeferin also insisted UEFA "would enforce its breakeven rules known as Financial Fair Play." UEFA's financial control last week began investigating if Paris St. Germain's "spending spree had fallen foul of the rules" (REUTERS, 9/4).
