UEFA considering a third club competition besides Champions League and Europa
UEFA leaders have admitted the possibility of introducing a third club competition in Europe, alongside the Champions League and Europe League, according to Guardian. The objective behind the new tournament could be used for teams who fail to qualify for the main draws of two of Europe’s elite club competition.
Fifty members of European football’ s governing body had discussed the possibilities and merits of a new competition for teams who fail to advance the qualifying rounds of the main club competitions.
The proposal and introduction of the competition could benefit teams who get eliminated from the group stage and teams from countries who don’t often reach the group stage of the major European competitions could also take part in the tournament.
Stewart Tegan, who’s the chief executive of Scottish Football Association praised the new idea by the governing body and believes that the new competition would allow teams to “maintain European football throughout the autumn and perhaps in the new year”.
Executive director agrees with Platini’s strategy
However, the UEFA governing body will wait until at 2018, when the current round of TV-rights deals expire as the discussions are still at an early phase and it is highly unlikely to see any changes to the structure in Europe.
“It’s a discussion around whether it’s a separate third competition exclusively for smaller countries who then relinquish their place in the Europa League and/or Champions League or whether it’s a competition that basically acts as a further safety net for those clubs that enter the Champions League or Europa League but are typically out by August and then [instead] they fall down into a third competition,” Regan said in an interview.
“It will give more opportunity to the clubs who never get in the final stages to participate in Europe,” said Volodymyr Geninson, who’s the executive director at the Football Federation of Ukraine
“It would chime with the Uefa president Michel Platini’s strategy of giving smaller nations greater access to competitions, whether by expanding the European Championship to 24 teams or spreading the hosting of Euro 2020 across the continent.”
“We are really supportive of this,” Geninson added, who was part of the “Top Executive Programme” meeting in the Malta resort of St Julian’s.
“For them, it will give opportunities not to finish the [European competitions] in August. It will give them opportunity to play in September and October.”
“The competition could be completed by the end of the calendar year, rather than going through to the conclusion of the European season as the Champions League and Europa League do.”
The competition could be completed by the end of the calendar year, rather than going through to the conclusion of the European season as the Champions League and Europa League do.
“Obviously finance will be important and what’s the value … in light of the costs of travelling around Europe and playing in a competition which some will see as lower value or not as premium as the Europa League,” Regan said. “I don’t think anyone would want to participate in a loss-making competition for the sake of it.
“There is certainly a development benefit for some of the smaller nations to experience international football as opposed to only having one or two games with one or two teams and being out by August,” he concluded.