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European Leagues stand firm against Juventus plan to create Champions League elite

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The European Leagues are in no mood to hand the keys of the Champions League over to Andrea Agnelli in a power grab to make the rich clubs even richer.

Reform plans to increase the group stage up to 14 matches were rejected earlier this season with the threat of weekend fixtures floated but withdrawn.

There is broad agreement that there is a staleness about the Champions League in it’s current format but two opposing ideas about how to remedy that.

The European Leagues, led by Sweden’s Lars-Christer Olsson want to increase access to more clubs with domestic champions given a greater share of places than the fourth placed teams from the richest countries.

Agnelli, president of the European Club Association wants a greater lock-in with half of the clubs competing in the Champions League doing so based on their performance the previous season.

Only the winners are assured of a place in the following season’s competition with Agnelli claiming that Celtic, Ajax and Legia Warsaw could by-pass the qualification process by their Champions League performance regardless of how they fare in their domestic league.

That sort of set up would diminish the value of domestic leagues with competing in the Champions League group stage currently paying out TEN times the prize money for winning the SPFL.

Maintaining strong domestic competitions and an open route to the Champions League is the route that Olsseon wants to create.

Speaking to the BBC he said:

Clubs should not have an advantage because of what they have done in the past. Neither do I think the big leagues – England, Spain, Italy and Germany – should have four teams who go straight into the group stages because it limits the opportunities for teams from other countries.

It should be three and one into the qualifying round. If the fourth team is good enough, they will get through but someone else should have a chance of doing it as well.

The new proposals won’t come into use until the start of the 2024/25 season, Agnelli is looking to have new plans in place for 2022 in order to secure new broadcast contracts.

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