UEFA are ditching plans to award two Champions League spots for sides based on their historical performance in the tournament, instead favouring a format which focuses on current success in European competition.
It was announced last year UEFA were considering a controversial proposal to support sides with a high-ranking coefficient, that had failed to qualify for the competition on merit but would benefit from their past contributions. Manchester United and AS Roma are two examples of teams who would fall under this category if that rule had come into force, with both missing out on a Champions League finish this term.
Instead, according to the Times, the European Club Association (ECA) have agreed on a system which will see two places go to the countries of sides who perform best in European competitions in each given season. England and the Netherlands are reportedly the two nations that would have reaped the rewards of this approach had it been rolled out this season, with the fifth-placed team in the Premier League (currently Tottenham Hotspur) joining the top four in the Champions League.
