In the coming weeks and months, the powerbrokers of European football will determine the future of UEFA club competitions.
Although there has been much talk of a breakaway super league, it appears the most likely outcome is an expanded UEFA Champions League. Reports suggest that the traditional group stage is set to be replaced by a more flexible Swiss Model so as to accommodate additional clubs and games.
But what do supporters think about such proposals?
FSE has published a paper on the future of European football in an attempt to provide an answer. The paper makes three main arguments:
- Existing proposals to reform UEFA club competitions are perilous for leagues, clubs, players, and supporters.
- The European model of sport provides a sustainable blueprint for the future of domestic leagues and UEFA club competitions.
- Alternatives to existing proposals should therefore seek to protect and strengthen this model, with a particular emphasis on maintaining sporting merit in European competitions, protecting domestic football, defending supporters’ interests, and fairer revenue distribution.
Commenting on the paper, FSE Executive Director Ronan Evain said:
“Current proposals to reform UEFA club competitions represent another step in the wrong direction—perhaps one from which there will be no return. More games in the UEFA Champions League won’t solve any of the big problems that afflict European football. In fact, they have the potential to make them worse. Supporters don’t want more football—they want better football. And that means a more level playing field on both the domestic and continental stage.”