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ECA proposed competition consisting of 128 teams divided into three divisions. The first division would consist of four groups of eight teams, with the top six of each qualification for the next edition, no matter where they end up in their national leagues. Representatives of 156 clubs discussed these proposals at a two-day congress in Malta, and although the ECA leadership has a unified face, many clubs have resounded with discontent.
"We must stop the current plans" The president of the Italian Lazio club, Claudio Lotito, told AFP. At the final press conference on Friday, Aki Riihilahti, Vice President of ECA and President of the Finnish club HJK Helsinki, spoke first to defend the plans.
"What we have today isdoes not work in a large majority of countries ", said Riihilahti, a former Crystal Palace player. "If we continue as we are, professional football in countries like ours will become useless and die slowly." Agnelli said the ECA, the governing body of UEFA European football and the European League, would discuss the plan on 11 September.
"All the clubs understood that it was really only the beginning of the process. Nothing is written in stone and much remains to be discussed, "said Agnelli, stressing that the ECA proposal was for the greater good.
"If we do it well, we can have economic progress without harming the (national) championships ", Agnelli said. "If we want to find a solution that works for everyone, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of others," he said.
"For Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, the issue of access to European competitions will only be of little importance." The day before, the Italian had informed the representatives of the clubs of 48 countries that the opposition was led by the richest leagues.
"What has been really disappointing so far, is the whole conversation that has been conducted by the representatives of the big five leagues," he said. "I see it as a protectionism of the five big leagues vis-à-vis the rest of European football."
Edwin van der Sar, another vice-president of ECA and general manager of Ajax, said at the press conference on Friday that the reform had "a better and broader base" than the current system. "It's a European competition and it has to be played in as many countries as possible", Van der Sar said. "How good would it be to allow the number five team in Spain and England to qualify before the champions of Turkey, Austria and Scotland?"
"In general, the idea is to play more European matches", the former Manchester United goalkeeper said. "This is what clubs, big and small, are asking for: we can look at the size of the leagues, the national cups, but also the calendars of UEFA and FIFA." According to sources close to the congress, Agnelli suggested "reducing the number of clubs" in the national championships as "a way to maintain their value and competitiveness".
Agnelli acknowledged that the clubs had expressed their reservations during the congress. "Everyone can have a say and now we can move on," he said. But many opponents seem unwilling to give in.
– & # 39; Interest of a few & # 39; –
Earlier in the week, the English Premier League, which has just placed the four teams in the final of the Champions League and the Europa League, again voiced its opposition and seven Spanish clubs, but not Real Madrid or Barcelona, also contested the plan. On Friday, the leaders of many other clubs joined the choir.
"No coherent reform can protect the interests of a few to the detriment of the majority", said the president of Bordeaux Frédéric Longuepée. Another leader of a French league club, Nicolas Holveck, deputy general manager of Monaco, spoke about the distribution of income from the European competition between unqualified clubs.
"It is important to put in place a fairer distribution model between participating and non-participating clubs to ensure a fair competitive balance", Roland Heri, managing director of the Swiss club Basel, said he feared that the opinion of supporters would be taken into account. "Fans are our most important partners," he said. "The pbadion of our fans is mainly motivated by the national games in Switzerland.We feel obliged to listen to their opinions."
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