UEFA considers scrapping Europa League in favour of extending the Champions League

[palangheTM]

28 November 2012

UEFA is considering scrapping the Europa League in favour of extending the Champions League, president Michel Platini has told the daily Ouest-France.

Asked about possible plans to extend the elite Champions League at the expense of the second-tier Europa League, Platini said: "There is an ongoing debate to determine what form the European competitions will have between 2015 and 2018. We're discussing it, we will make a decision in 2014. Nothing is decided yet."

One of the options being looked at is the possibility of extending the final phase of the Champions League from 32 to 64 teams.

The Europa League generates far lower revenue for clubs than the Champions League and has been criticised since it evolved from the UEFA Cup in 2009.

Meanwhile, the UEFA president said that he was not worried by talk of the creation by Europe's rich clubs of a competition to rival the Champions League.

"It's a question that is regularly brought up," said the former France midfielder.

"It doesn't worry me. I can't see how it could work outside the UEFA framework. Who will referee them? In what stadiums will they play? A lot of people want them? I don't think so."

[PouriaAkaBarut]

Liverpool and Man city would be super angry lol

[EKBATAN]

can't wait to see the elite clash of the mighty west brom vs. levante

[EKBATAN]

they need to just let top 4 teams from england, italy, spain and germany be automatically included and give like 2 spots to france, portugal and holland....then 1 spot to rest of european leagues.

people just want to see a clash of top teams....thats what generates revenue....people wanna see real madrid vs. man u.....ac milan vs. barcelona...etc....no one wants to see shakhtar vs. benfica in the last 8 of CL

[PSGman#19]

they need to just let top 4 teams from england, italy, spain and germany be automatically included and give like 2 spots to france, portugal and holland....then 1 spot to rest of european leagues.

people just want to see a clash of top teams....thats what generates revenue....people wanna see real madrid vs. man u.....ac milan vs. barcelona...etc....no one wants to see shakhtar vs. benfica in the last 8 of CL

+1

Platini (I hate him) killed Champions league. Look to CL groups these last years : it looks like europa league groups!!!!

[PouriaAkaBarut]

^ couldn't agree more with both of you.

[EKBATAN]

i mean u cant hate on those other lesser known teams....they have improved and challenge the bigger teams....but unfortunately in the end its about branding and history of these teams. a team like ac milan or liverpool can be absolute crap this year, but just their names alone make the game more exciting than like CSKA Moscow who could be playing beautiful fancy football with great defense, for example.


another reason the system is messed up is the pointing system that makes certain leagues come up higher and therefore put in more teams in CL....EL and CL are the same points....0 point for losses, 1 point for draw and 2 points for win....so what happens is alot of the teams in top 4 leagues dont take EL serious and field their B teams so they end up losing or drawing crap teams like lech pozan or macabi haifa or whatever....over time these collection of points lets the lesser leagues come up cuz they take EL serious cuz they actually have a chance. But overall the point of CL and reason for its popularity is cuz people can see 2 great teams from different leagues go at it....if that doesnt happen then its less attractive...


last year many great teams got eliminated early so the last 8 of the CL was 4 crap teams vs. 4 good teams

[KeonKish]

I agree that europa league is a little silly... the whole point of CL is to see which league is better in reality... big team vs big team, I have to come watch teams like PSG trash on small weak teams like dinamo zagreb

[PouriaAkaBarut]

But then wouldn't make it bias having the same teams win it everything ? the fact that Porto got to win it in 2004 was incredible and they were pure underdogs. and how could u make the difference big teams , I mean its easy to say Ac milan , Man United , Real , Barca a the giants in Europe but what about teams like Tottenham, schalke or Shakhtar , they could easily go and compete with the big dogs.

[radin119]

+1

Platini (I hate him) killed Champions league. Look to CL groups these last years : it looks like europa league groups!!!!

word man these groups have made no good games
especially that really shitty group that had the four champions of england, germany, holland, and spain in it

the point of the europa league is to give exposure to second tier nations
so maybe they should do what AFC does (i cant believe im saying this) with the AFC cup and only allow 2nd tier nation clubs into europa league
you know clubs from romania, bulgaria, serbia etc.. just like how afc cup only allows clubs from India, Iraq etc