Plans have been revealed today to further streamline the Champions League from 2024.
Talks took place at last month’s AGM of the European Club’s Association (ECA) to discuss future developments of the leading club competition in club football.
This season the top four clubs from the leading four nations were automatically given group stage places but that has only increased the drive of the main clubs to generate more money and to retain it among their own elite grouping.
The champions of Scotland now face four qualifying rounds to reach the group stage with only five places open through the Champions Route.
According to a report in The Sun, from 2024 the Champions League will consist of four groups of eight with the top six assured of a place in the competition for the following season
But today Premier League clubs will be told about plans to revamp the Champions League — and effectively turn it into a closed shop.
The plans are being ramped up by Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, the head of the European Clubs Association.
And the 20 Prem clubs will hear at their shareholders meeting that among the ideas on the table would be a “locked-in” top-24 each season.
Agnelli and his supporters at the ECA — whose board includes United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward — are pushing for wholesale changes from 2024.
ECA hardliners want the current eight groups of four clubs changed to four groups of eight.
That means 14 group-stage games — and 21 to win the European Cup.
One proposal is for the top six in each of the new four groups to earn automatic qualification for the following year.
Giving automatic Champions League places to 24 clubs would kill off the competition in many domestic leagues including the EPL.
At present Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs are battling for two places in next season’s competition but top four places would no longer bring a group place.
It’s likely that a slightly watered down version will be approved by UEFA which streamlines the competitions further to participants from a few rich domestic leagues.
