Crystal Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish says he has mixed feelings about the latest revision to the Champions League format and called for an independent regulator to govern UEFA.
News broke on Monday that UEFA were ditching their original plan - set to be implemented from the 2024/25 season - that would have seen some spots in Europe’s top club competition awarded to teams with the best record over the previous five years. That has now shrunk to just one year of historic performance following criticisms that their original plan appeared too similar to the scrapped Super League proposal.
Two teams will now get the chance to qualify for the Champions League despite missing out on automatic qualification via their domestic league position, with those teams decided based on how their specific countries have collectively performed best in Europe's club competitions in the previous season. Had this system already been in use, England would have been awarded an extra place in four of the last five seasons - meaning a fifth-place finish in the Premier League would garner entry to the competition.
