Champions League set for expansion

LONDON • Europe's leading clubs are making a late push for greater control over the business and running of the Champions League in return for backing Uefa's reforms of the competition.

At the heart of the latest talks is the role of a joint company set up between Uefa and the clubs to deal with the commercial, broadcasting and marketing rights to the tournament.

There has been a broad consensus over Uefa's plans to expand the Champions League from 2024 to 36 clubs and to change the group stage with 100 more games and scrapping the current groups of four teams to a single table for qualification for the knockout stage.

Uefa was hoping to have agreement in principle over the plans at yesterday's executive committee meeting ahead of an official vote next month.

But the European Clubs Association (ECA), which represents 246 European clubs and is led by Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, wants to address the governance structure for the competition before signing off on the deal.

The Uefa plan has been produced against the backdrop of reports of a breakaway Super League, run by the top clubs without the governing body involved.

The ECA are already involved in Uefa's club competition structures, including the second-tier Europa League through a joint company, known as "Uefa Club Competition SA" or UCC.

UCC is a subsidiary company of Uefa where half the members of the board are appointed by the governing body and the other half by the ECA. The clubs are pushing for a role which goes well beyond advising Uefa, however.

On Tuesday, the ECA's executive said that it was not ready to endorse Uefa's plans "in isolation".

"The executive board believes that if European football is to meet the challenges it currently faces, the foundations for ECA and Uefa's future relationship also need to be given due consideration at the same time," said the body.

"The executive board is fully committed to working with Uefa over the coming weeks on all topics and remains confident of reaching successful outcomes, which will be crucial in ensuring European club football's rebuild and long term sustainability."

ECA chief Agnelli recently said that if a new package of agreements on governance and control of the competition was to be confirmed, the clubs might make "individual commitments" to the structure.

"If we have clubs that will commit individually to the future competitions... it will actually put it (Super League) to sleep," he said.

Teams will be involved in the Champions League from 2024, compared to 32 now, under Uefa's proposed plans.

According to Uefa, a formal decision on the plan would be taken at its April 19 executive committee meeting, which is held a day before the annual congress.

REUTERS