Uefa has come under fire from a leading fan group over plans to reserve two Champions League qualification places for underperforming traditional giants.
Only a year after the governing body’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, lauded supporters for rebuking the European Super League, it is Uefa on the end of criticism from the very same fans.
From 2024, Europe’s footballing authority wants to reserve two spots in the Champions League for clubs who have not qualified via domestic routes but have high historic coefficient ranking, while also increasing the number of group games from six to ten.
Were the plan in place for this season’s competition, Ligue 1’s Lyon and Serie A side Napoli would have made the Champions League as the highest ranked teams (19th and 20th) in Uefa’s coefficient system who finished directly outside their nation’s qualification places.
The Football Supporters’ Association’s Premier League Network says these proposals should be rejected by Uefa, whose ruling executive committee is expected to make a final decision on the Champions League revamp in Vienna on May 10.
“We are united in opposition to proposals to reform the Champions League that are a back door attempt at a return to the discredited idea of a European Super League,” the Network's statement said.
“Last year, it was our supporter groups that united to force the collapse of the European Super League. At the time, Uefa told us that fans were the heart of the game and promised fans' views would be centre stage in deciding what came next.
“So it is with great dismay that we now face the prospect of changes to the Champions League that will mean many more group games being played and entry for some clubs being based on a historical five-year '’Uefa Club Co-efficient’.
“These proposals will only widen the gap between rich clubs and the rest, at the same time wrecking domestic league calendars, with the expectation that fans sacrifice yet more time and money attending meaningless group games.”
Uefa's executive committee initially approved reforms to its men's club competitions, including the Champions League, on April 19 last year, but to very little fanfare or publicity as it happened in the hours after the Super League had been launched.
The increase from six matches to 10, plus a further play-off round to determine eight of the last-16, along with the inclusion of two-co-efficient places were approved at that time. The group stage would increase from 32 to 36 teams, with all teams playing in one big league and facing other teams under a seeded 'Swiss system'.
Uefa has looked at the plans again in the wake of the Super League collapse, however the proposals clearly still provide far too many concessions to the big clubs in the view of Premier League fans.
Under its latest proposal, teams could only qualify via the co-efficient if they finished immediately outside the regular Champions League spots, to avoid them leapfrogging rivals who finish in a higher position. However, it is understood teams could also win the FA Cup and qualify via co-efficient, whereas FA Cup winners with a lesser European pedigree would not.
“It is irresponsible and out of touch to even consider doubling the number of home games that fans will have to attend before the last -16 knockout round begins,” the Network added.
“This will be compounded by the cost of living crisis that is hitting Europe. Furthermore, we do not see how increasing the requirement for teams and fans to fly around Europe is compatible with Uefa’s environmental commitments.”
