Qualifying for Champions League might get easier

[the count]

Michel Platini: Uefa are considering scrapping Europa League and extending Champions League

Uefa president Michel Platini has admitted that his organistion are considering scrapping the Europa League in favour of extending the Champions League.

Asked about possible plans to extend the elite Champions League at the expense of the second-tier Europa League on Wednesday by theOuest-France., Platini said: "There is an ongoing debate to determine what form the European competitions will have between 2015 and 2018.​

"We're discussing it, we will make a decision in 2014. Nothing is decided yet."​

One of the options being looked at is the possibility of extending the final phase of the Champions League from 32 to 64 teams.​

The Europa League generates far lower revenue for clubs than the Champions League and has been criticised since it evolved from the Uefa Cup in 2009.​

Meanwhile, the Uefa president said that he was not worried by talk of the creation by Europe's rich clubs of a competition to rival the Champions ​

"It's a question that is regularly brought up," said the former French midfielder.​

"It doesn't worry me. I can't see how it could work outside the Uefa framework.​

"Who will referee them? In what stadiums will they play? A lot of people want them? I don't think so."​

 

[Jack D Rips]

Will 8th be the new 4th?

 

[dee]

An extra 32 places shared out will give us, at most, two extra slots. The games would then need to spread across 3 nights to allow for TV rights to be distributed. I think this would be a problem for broadcasters looking to dominate the competition and for the big clubs as they currently have a parachute into a secondary competition if they drop out in the group stages. Finally, this will limit the number of clubs playing in europe - surely something Platini would like.

I don't think it is realistic.

 

[hmmmmm1]

This pops every few years as a way for uefa to ward off talk of breakaway leagues/competitions so the big clubs can get more money.

 

[The Slugmonster]

It'll be a joke if it goes to 64 places. You'll get the like of Barca coming to somewhere like upton park on a regular basis, I dont care if we'd be back in the shake up. Getting into it would hold no merit. Fuck off Platini!

 

[Mystic]

I like the idea of making one competition, this whole champions league/europa league is a bit shit.

 

[gkmacca]

Horrible idea. It would surely mean that participation would only start being lucrative much later on in the competition and more fixture congestion than ever. If they want to change things the logic is surely for a proper world club championship with all the African, Asian and US clubs eligible for qualification, and hugely hyped matches spread out during the season.

 

[tombrown]

Bring back the Cup WInners Cup, UEFA Cup & European Cup

 

[Silver Sean]

The whole idea that finishing 4th means you belong in Europe's premier club competition has always grated with me.
Cup Winner's Cup for cup winners, Champion's League for champions and at most second in strong leagues, UEFA cup for those finishing in 3rd, 4th etc.
Why they had to invent the Europa league at all in the first place is a total mystery.
Anyway, modern football is shit.

 

[the count]

Looking at our group in the Europa League as opposed to Man U's in the Champions league I would say that our has the higher standard of teams in it and is tougher to qualify from.
There are a lot of teams in the Europa league that are better than the lower placed ones in the Champions league

 

[keniget]

It's not a good idea because it will damage the glamour of the 'Champions League', which has too many shit one sided games as is at the moment, particularly when it comes to the last round.

This move sounds like the beginnings of a European league more than a cup competition.

 

[acejmk]

Bring back the Cup WInners Cup, UEFA Cup & European Cup

This is right I've said this for years

 

[Rosco]

It's not a good idea because it will damage the glamour of the 'Champions League', which has too many shit one sided games as is at the moment, particularly when it comes to the last round.

This move sounds like the beginnings of a European league more than a cup competition.

Yup.

They should return the UEFA cup to being solely a knockout tournament from beginning to end. It would be more interesting and would be able to differentiate itself from the CL as opposed to being a shittier version of it

 

[Holle]

Bring back the Cup WInners Cup, UEFA Cup & European Cup

AMEN!!!

 

[Molbystwin]

An extra 32 places shared out will give us, at most, two extra slots. The games would then need to spread across 3 nights to allow for TV rights to be distributed. I think this would be a problem for broadcasters looking to dominate the competition and for the big clubs as they currently have a parachute into a secondary competition if they drop out in the group stages. Finally, this will limit the number of clubs playing in europe - surely something Platini would like.

I don't think it is realistic.

You dont have to play it over three nights at all if you have correct technology in place for viewers to select the game they want to watch, it makes sense to me to do it and I think if Platini wanted to go for it he could use it as a carrot for the bigger clubs with the FFP looming large.... finally we will have a real european league. I also suspect that with the financial pull of the TV market England would almost certainly get 4 more slots, it makes sense to double up our allocation if the slots double up.

8 mini leagues of 8 with teams playing each other just the once 4 randomly selected home games 4 away.
Top 2 go through to knockout rounds.

I might add considering the slim fucking chances we have of getting into the top four i'm all for it, it's way to painful being outside of it, I suspect it would need the prem clubs to have a dispensation from certain domestic cup comps, otherwise in effect the top 8 would be playing two seasons at a time

 

[peterhague]

ive long thought they should expand it to 64 teams but with a straight knockout format. No meaningless fixtures, much more exciting, so should increase the total value of the tv rights. The share of the money could still be based on a similar split of national markets as ha now, so any team who is unexpectedly knocked out would be financially compensated.

 

[Spionkop69]

Looking at our group in the Europa League as opposed to Man U's in the Champions league I would say that our has the higher standard of teams in it and is tougher to qualify from.
There are a lot of teams in the Europa league that are better than the lower placed ones in the Champions league

Which is how the European Cup used to be! The UEFA Cup consistently had stronger teams in it than the old style European Cup.

 

[Mors]

Bring back the Cup WInners Cup, UEFA Cup & European Cup

Is right

 

[6TimesaRed]

They are talking about giving 2 Champions league places to the finalists of the Europa League..

This is the favoured route, to raise the profile of the Europa League..

Winners will go into the PlayOffs.. whereas the runners up go into the 3rd Qualifying round.

About time imho

 

[Leo]

That sounds fair enough I suppose Jono.
Would certainly go someway to raise the prestige of the Europa League.

 

[the count]

Give the semi finalists a spot in the early qualifying rounds and that would make clubs take it a bit more seriously.
It doesn't really matter what we what unless it is generating the same amount of money or more for EUFA, it ain't going to happen.