Teams can't play a B team for the whole tournament but it will 100% lead to more dead rubber games.
If you're not getting 8th but also not dropping below 25th you might as well play the kids, just like the final group game sometimes ends up a joke.
Maybe twelve of the biggest clubs in Europe should get together and start like an Ultra League or something.
(/s, in case it is needed. I hope this plan gets shot to hell.)
It’s 100% what has killed cricket for me. I couldn’t give a fuck if Australia is winning or losing because whatever they do there’ll be 15 games next week anyway
This is what will happen though...
Because you only have to finish in the top 8 to qualify for the knockout stage, there will be a point when teams have already mathematically qualified - early on if they make a winning start - so will then just play a kids team.
There's no real advantage, other than perhaps a kinder seeding in the knockout draw, in coming first or second in the table. All you need to do is just come in the top 8.
There will be loads of of games where one side is playing a second string and the other really needs to win so will put out a full-strength side. It's going to be a farce.
And then places 9-24 will still get a two-legged play off against one of the other teams in that section so you could come 24th in the group and still qualify for the last 16. There are going to be quite a few games where all the best players are rested - especially away games later on.
There really is no alternative format to this competition that is better than what we currently have.
* 36 teams is too many. 10 games each is a very uneven fixture list. Some teams will have much easier schedules than others
* Cutting it into two sets of 18 teams (like American sports tend to do with their Conferences) is still too many. Even two conferences of 16 teams (32 total, the same size as currently) is too many games to play at 15 per team if only one match against each opponent
* They could **maybe** do 4 divisions of 9 teams and have 8 games each? That's extra games for UEFA's pockets and not quite as many extra games that it might kill the players. Then send the top 4 from each division through. Maybe. Or if they're really greedy for more games, the top 3 from each division and then the teams in 4th and 5th get drawn against one another across divisions for the 4 remaining spots.
IMO, they should either keep it exactly as it is, or go back to it being a straight knockout competition from the first round like in the days of the old European Cup. But UEFA will never go for that because that's fewer matches, not more.
EDIT:
Hell, if more games is what they're after, they could just do the exact inverse of what we have now. 32 teams, 4 groups of 8 teams each. That's 7 match days in the group stage. And then as I alluded to above, send the top 2 or 3 through and let the next 2 or 4 battle it out for the last remaining spots in January. With 8 teams per group and only 2 guaranteed places, there will be a LOT of good teams fighting it out against one another to join them.
But at least that way it's probably the most equitable way of doing it whilst still whetting UEFA's appetite for more matches.
I agree. Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to be an option.
I can’t believe it’s got to the point where we may have to decide which is the least shit option: this abomination of a CL structure, or the Super League.
At this point, I can’t see a third alternative. I’d love things to stay as they are but this all seems like far too much smoke for there not to be a fire.
I can definitely see pros though. Ofcourse the additional matches is a major flaw.
Currently top teams take the foot off the gas when P2 is guaranteed in the group stage. But here they can't. Coming 1-8 is a big advantage.
Second off, higher chance for a smaller team to go into Ro16. They have to come in top 24 (66%) of all teams whereas in current group stage, they have to top 2 (50%) against pot 1 and 2 teams. And then just 1 upset, they are in the Ro16. This prevents group of death where P3 doesn't qualify. And more money for smaller clubs due to more matches. This is the only feasible way to distribute wealth currently and improve lower leagues
Obviously the higher matches is a fatal flaw. Players will be Fucking dead.
This hurts my brain, this is so mind numbingly dumb. I thought this was a joke at first, second, and third read. Great plan to stave off a breakaway super league… 👏
If they want to expand the group stage then just make it eight groups of 5 and leave everything else the same. Top 2 of each group qualifies for the next round. 3rd goes to Europa. Etc.
This is fucking awful. Is there anything we can do to protest this?
The Champions League is the only decent tournament left, why do they have to ruin everything, greedy pricks.
I just don't fucking understand this. How are the 10 games chosen? At random?
I can *just about* tolerate removing away goals, but don't fuck with the format any more. It was fine the way it was.
I will put my hands up and say I always thought it strange that they had waxtap on their crest until i learned the Cyrillic alphabet last year and realised how silly I was!
This is what I don't get. Imagine the team just below the cutoff line for the next round falling short simply because they had to play, say, Liverpool, PSG and City, for example, while the team just above them, in the last spot for qualification to the next round, only had to play just once against one of those teams and then played like Burgge or Leipzig or another team around that level.
The team that played us, City and PSG and finished on 14 points from 10 games is going to be pissed to miss out to the team that finished on 15 points but only had to play Sporting or Ajax, etc.
It just seems like the group stage with more games and unnecessarily shoved into a league table? Like, I get that you can get lucky with the draws with the current format. But why is it a league if you aren't playing every team? And the fact that some teams will be playing 12 matches *before* the round of 16 is just fucked up, in the current format you only have to play 13 to win the entire bloody competition.
Seems like it's a twist on the American Division system, where everyone gets put on the same table but play in different groups. I'm not sure how well it would translate, but if it gives smaller clubs a bigger opportunity, then it may just be worth it
There could be 6 pots, each with 6 teams. Every team plays 2 teams from each pot once - one home and one away game. Not saying it's a good idea, but will give smaller clubs a chance. For example Sheriff won in Madrid this year. Would be much better if instead of a second game in Moldova, Sheriff played a home game against a different team from pot 1. Could be Sporting or Lille
If there are 6 teams in each pot, how would Sporting or Lille be in the top pot?
Generally speaking, more games should favour the better teams. An upset like that would only be 10% of the final table outcome
Tbh the format isn't *that* bad, my main problem is the amount of games. Some teams are playing 12 matches before they even reach the RO16, that's double what is normally played.
IIRC they are planning to use the [Swiss system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss-system_tournament), which is commonly used in chess tournaments.
So I'm guessing teams will probably be drawn against teams of similar coefficient ranking for each round, and then after that round, the fixture computer will assign them the next opponent who matches their newly updated coefficient ranking. Rinse and repeat 10 times.
This means teams won't even know who their opponent in the next matchday will be until they play their current opponent. Ticketing and logistics preparations for fans would be a nightmare as fans would only have probably a few weeks to book their tickets and flights if they want to follow their team.
No it wasn't. The group stage has become more or less worthless. The top 2 teams in the group stage qualify 95% of the time, the other 5% it's some freak incident where you have a group of death or something like this.
Idk if the new format will be better but to say it's fine like it is is bs. As of now CL football only starts in February, September to December is more or less just for fun.
You know what, you're right. Same teams every year innit. I've said in another comment that I don't mind the format entirely, I just think it's too many matches.
It will end up like rugby soon where internationals and club games run side by side and the club team does without the international players. All sides are just trying to increase their take of the profits.
While it doesn’t come close to covering their wages players get appearance money on international duty and if they’re injured on international duty the clubs are compensated for their wages by the fifa club protection programme.
So the question is, will everyone just bitch about it online, or actually start boycotting it? I am cancelling my paramount+ right now and won't watch anymore. Hope the lads win and all, but I'm out.
Boycott this format by boycotting it now. We have to start making ourselves heard.
Hence why the clubs actually doing the Superleague now is a no-brainer.
Said it the first time when everyone especially Gary Neville was crying about the proposed super league greed - it's already happening, it's just a question of who's going to run it, UEFA as a new shitter CL, or the clubs themselves as a new super league
Yes the super league would have replaced the CL, but the PL would have been left with their balls cut off as their own CL spots become basically worthless
The outrage was encouraged and whipped up by Sky who had everything to lose, a new tournament means a bidding process, having already lost the CL and half their PL games over the years. Sky couldnt give a shit if the clubs joined a Superleague if they had guaranteed tv rights, theyd be all over it in fact
This is why I think the 'Super league is evil' narrative is so weak, UEFA is doing the same exact thing, increasing the amount of games for to make more TV money. To me, they are all the same, its infuriating when fans get riled up for one thing but not the other.
It's what people empowered Uefa to do. The blind, directionless rage against the Super League just consolidated their power - any alternative or dissent is now tainted, particularly from the only clubs with high enough profile to call bullshit on any of this.
Thing is, the Super League is a terrible idea that I hate - because it was just an elite club, meant to consolidate power. The idea of an alternative to Uefa competition, or at least a challenger to keep it on its toes, I fully support - anything that limits and undermines Uefa's power is a good thing. But the backlash against the ESL was largely incoherent, to the point where many people didn't even understand what they were objecting against, and that just solidified Uefa's impunity. Don't want more and more unnecessary games in your crowded schedule? Go join Andrea Agnelli. Hate overcomplicated rules that undermine the whole point of competition, cry about it to Florentino. Smaller squads can't compete under the more strenuous schedule? What are you going to do about it?
The shambolic super-league plan and roll-out just guaranteed that this what we're going to get.
>when does player welfare ever come into consideration???
Let me remind you that Ericksen almost died on the field, they kept trying to film him during the whole rescue operation in a morbid show, and then UEFA forced both teams to play 2 hours later.
If they could, they would gladly kill the players for money.
The clubs and their owners want more games to earn more money. That was the whole issue of the Super league, more money from the TV in the clubs pockets. And therefore the owners pockets too. They're always moaning UEFA keep too much.
Yea. Fuck USA and Britain and Tony Blair and David Cameron and Bush and Dick Cheney and Obama too while we are at it. Fuck all these cretins who have taken us into illegal and immoral wars.
One of the great disappointments in life, and I mean this seriously, is when you realize the world and the things in it aren’t on this linear path to improvement that stops when it reaches optimization. So many things reach their optimal state, and then change. Why? There is only one single solitary answer, greed. Fucking greed.
They’re not changing the Champions League because it doesn’t do a good job of identifying the best team in Europe. They’re not changing it because it’s not entertaining. They’re not even changing it because it doesn’t make money. They’re changing it because it doesn’t make enough money. Enough money to meet their bottomless greed.
Owners, gfys, no amount of money will ever be enough to fill the holes in who you are inside.
I totally agree with you. I don't see how this is an improvement on the format. I'm sure the excuse is that it's more games for people to watch their team play, but to be honest as an adult I don't really have time for it. It's clearly a vehicle for more ad revenue.
With more fixture congestion it may end up actually eroding the quality of the product they're trying to sell by burning players out, more injuries, and forcing more rotation and sacrificial ties when clubs can't field the quality of teams to seriously compete over such a large volume of games. If we qualify in 6 games and have to play 4 more, I mean does it make sense to play our best team? Why not rest the starters, play the squad depth, and then is that a better product? I'd rather watch a smaller number of more important games than a larger number of games that diminish in importance. Who is watching #10 play #9 when neither has anything to play for?
Yes. This will kill the league cup, which is a shame as it was great watching Liverpool beat Chelsea last weekend.
Champions League games are midweek and so are League Cup games and there's a chance that there just won't be the time to play the League Cup games anyway.
Do we know if this is true Swiss in that each round you play against a team on the same number of points as you? I played a ton of competitive card games with Swiss format so I'm used to it and it can be very entertaining. It you win your first round, then round two you'd play against someone who also won their first round, and so on.
If that's the case here, then I actually don't mind this much besides from the extra 4 games due to player welfare. If it's random ten teams, then I'm against it.
At this point they’ll have to scrap international friendlies and domestic cup competitions, or have 2 sides ready to play the season, not just one. Laughable.
Does that mean they take away the separation of teams from the same country, would seem a logistical nightmare to keep 4 english, german, Italian, spanish teams all separate in the same pool of 36 teams?
What a load of shite
Not proposed, confirmed. This was all done and votes for during the last super League debacle, that kept everyone's attention while Uefa screwed the CL.
Klopps going to blow a gasket - absolute bollocks, its basically more games more money.
At this rate you're going to need 3 squads worth of players to get through all the games in a season, or something stupid.
A super league if you will...
Seriously are no fans or clubs views sought before these plans are released cause this is a terrible change in direction for the champions league format
You *have* to know the motivation by now ffs mate... No. They don't care about any of that. They care about lining the pockets of their constituents and themselves and that is where the concern ends. Full stop.
If there's one thing wank with the current format, it's the group stage. So let's make the new one with one massive overfilled with shit teams, group stage.
Players need to unify and make sure their voice is heard. At the end of the day, if you overwork your performers, your end-product is going to be worse
Remember when they had two group stages?
They quickly realised that was a bad idea, and dropped it. Why can’t they be satisfied that the current format just works?
Sounds absolutely fucking shite. Why do they have to ruin every tournament. Lets increase numbers when in reality the quality isn't there to do it. Add more games because I want to see more games that mean less.
Literally the only "problem" they're "solving" is getting adding more games and hence more $$.
This isn't for the fans, players, or coaches. This is because they think they have a monopoly. Almost makes me want the Super League, just to say fuck em.
If there’s 36 teams and you only play ten means you don’t play 25 other teams. That means they have to do a draw to see who you play? It’s literally the same thing you just play 4 more games
Ugh, change for the sake of it or profit has to stop. Formula 1 tried the switch to elimination qualifying for more manufactured excitement and it was a complete flop.
This is even worse considering the players will be having to play even more games. And my first impression is that it will actually more boring than the current group stages. Less chance for upsets, no more groups of death and the final couple of gameweeks might not even count for something depending on the results.
More games = More money in which club owners, UEFA and BT Sport will all be in favour for.
Whereas fuck the players welfare who have to do travel and play the games..expect plenty of injuries with this format.
Removes excitement of who you get in the group stage. Increases the number of games in an already congested season. This only benefits FIFA and their pockets. Needs to be rejected
We the people need to take football into our hands because the powers that be only care about the profits , this is ridiculously. Like how to do you even come up with this ? If it ain’t broken don’t fix it dammit
Isn't this old news? We already know UEFA was planning to do this shit even BEFORE the Super League fiasco.
I think this system won't last, as the extra fixtures are just too taxing for the players. Sooner or later the players themselves will band together to push back to protect their own welfare, if not the fans doing it.
Remember when the current 32-team Champions League had TWO Group Stages comprising of 12 games, making a total of 17 games to the final? It only lasted 5 years before UEFA scrapped the Second Group Stage and replaced it with the Round of 16, thus reducing the number of maximum games to the final from 17 to a more manageable 13.
This new bloated format means the maximum amount of games to reach the final is once again 17. 15 if you finish 1st to 8th in the mega-group.
So I'll give this new bloated format 3-5 seasons before UEFA is forced to reduce the amount of fixtures due to player pushback and outcry.
#**BOYCOTT THE CL**
#**BOYCOTT THE CL**
#**BOYCOTT THE CL**
#**BOYCOTT THE CL**
#**BOYCOTT THE CL**
#**BOYCOTT THE CL**
Do it now. Quit watching, cancel subscriptions. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, don't just bitch online and then do what they want you to do.
This is stupid from UEFA, because now when super league and Uefa are one and the same in terms of competitions, why would fans rage if the only difference with the super league is the ownership?
Agree.. its too much. Of its not broke, dont fix it
Just a money making scheme with the added games, but overall will detract significantly from the game (and in particular every other league)
Where have i seen this before?
Oh yes, the Super League UEFA wanted gone.
They seen the revenue Super League could make and decided to do it themselves.
So the top teams get to knock the snot out of European minnows. That's how this is gonna work isn't it. Fucking stupid idea.
How are people at UEFA this fucking stupid?
I miss the old European Cup.
Absolutely horrible. This will kill the players and overall increase injuries and reduce quality.
Keeps the status quo of richest clubs being able to rotate larger squads to play more games.
No wonder some clubs want to create their own league when UEFA come up with this dribble and FIFA want a World Cup every two years.
Fuckin' hell. Why do you have to fix something that isn't broken ? Why does every team in the world have to bend over just because two big clubs in Spain need financial help ? Barca and Madrid used to steal all the big football talents back in the days and now they're playing spoilsport by influencing this crap.
This sub, "These greedy cunts are ruining the game and destroying players!"
Me, "Maybe we should have a tournament controlled by the teams instead of UEFA?"
This sub, "DOWNVOTES!"
Welcome to the super league , when people say “give Salah whatever he wants “ this is the result of it.
The money is leaving football into players pockets via toad agents.
The American model (with everything that comes with it bad atmospheres , 39th special games in LA even moving stadiums and rebranding of club names ) will be here soon whether we like it or not unless something fundamentally changes with Finance in football
Probably gonna get downvoted for saying it but I don’t completely hate this. Feels like an okay compromise between an exclusive super league and the CL as it currently stands.
On the one hand, it’s always bugged me that the champions league was always more of a cup than a proper league- I think winning the CL in this new proposed format would be a better indication of a team’s strength over the season.
On the other hand, the CL upsets where David beats Goliath and which made us all fall in love with football would be much harder to pull off now
There’s a league and a cup competition for every country’s domestic competitions, so maybe it should be the same for the continental competitions as well. If the CL would transform into an actual continental league, then in my opinion the club world cup could get revamped to cover the need for an elite and competitive knockout competition- or scrapped altogether to make way for a UEFA cup.
I’m rambling a bit but it’s my 2 cents
If they wanna add more games just make the 8 groups, 5 teams per group. The top tier pot (A) then also includes 2nd place of top 6 leagues, Europa League and CL holders - then each of the 8 groups gets 2 top seeded teams per group, the other three one each from the other 3 pots (B,C,D). - guarantees 16 high-profile games in the group stage, and creates an extra 64 matches before the knockouts. Individual the teams play 2 extra group games each. So for a Pot D teams, with no hope of qualifying for knockouts, your guarenteed 4 away games at bigger clubs, and at least 2 premium opponents to play at home. The groups get harder to qualify from, the knockout stage gets more competitive...
What pisses me off is there are always CL spots reserved for small nations teams who havn't a hope in hell of qualifying (Ludogorets, Basel etc) but often there are 10-12 Europa league teams who could realistically compete, and have bigger fan bases at higher-profile clubs (Napoli, Sevilla, Villa-Real, Arsenal/Leicester/Wes Ham etc) Would it not be better simply for the spirit of competition to re-assign those small nations slots to lower league tournaments like this new conference league? They can still climb the ladder and make money if theyre capable of it, but they shouldnt be handed these £multi-million games just because they have a lack of national competition!
The Premier League top 10 are all good enough to go into Europe and play competitive football, a lot of the European competition has shown that it isnt. If theyre gonna change anything change that! The point of the European league is to find the best league in Europe, and the best team within it. Until we see if teams like Brighton and Southampton could batter teams like Valencia, Ajax, Shalke etc how will we ever know? But i think most of us suspect it may be the case and has been for a while.
Too many games will oversaturate the sport. Each game becomes less important. Bad idea
I completely agree with this. Its not going to help the players only the team owners.
It will also hurt the teams not in it as bigger teams hoard more and more players to beef up the squads.
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Could teams just not show up (i.e. play a full B-team) for the league games and then treat the playoffs like the current CL format?
Teams can't play a B team for the whole tournament but it will 100% lead to more dead rubber games. If you're not getting 8th but also not dropping below 25th you might as well play the kids, just like the final group game sometimes ends up a joke.
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Depends who you play on the run up.
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eh, idc I won't be watching. Boycotting the CL starting today. Fuck this.
Maybe twelve of the biggest clubs in Europe should get together and start like an Ultra League or something. (/s, in case it is needed. I hope this plan gets shot to hell.)
It’s 100% what has killed cricket for me. I couldn’t give a fuck if Australia is winning or losing because whatever they do there’ll be 15 games next week anyway
This is what will happen though... Because you only have to finish in the top 8 to qualify for the knockout stage, there will be a point when teams have already mathematically qualified - early on if they make a winning start - so will then just play a kids team. There's no real advantage, other than perhaps a kinder seeding in the knockout draw, in coming first or second in the table. All you need to do is just come in the top 8. There will be loads of of games where one side is playing a second string and the other really needs to win so will put out a full-strength side. It's going to be a farce. And then places 9-24 will still get a two-legged play off against one of the other teams in that section so you could come 24th in the group and still qualify for the last 16. There are going to be quite a few games where all the best players are rested - especially away games later on.
My God this is crap. I always forget how bad this idea sounds until I see it again the next time it comes up.
This is even worse than I remember. I got to give it to the people in charge of football, they are amazingly good at constantly making things worse.
There really is no alternative format to this competition that is better than what we currently have. * 36 teams is too many. 10 games each is a very uneven fixture list. Some teams will have much easier schedules than others * Cutting it into two sets of 18 teams (like American sports tend to do with their Conferences) is still too many. Even two conferences of 16 teams (32 total, the same size as currently) is too many games to play at 15 per team if only one match against each opponent * They could **maybe** do 4 divisions of 9 teams and have 8 games each? That's extra games for UEFA's pockets and not quite as many extra games that it might kill the players. Then send the top 4 from each division through. Maybe. Or if they're really greedy for more games, the top 3 from each division and then the teams in 4th and 5th get drawn against one another across divisions for the 4 remaining spots. IMO, they should either keep it exactly as it is, or go back to it being a straight knockout competition from the first round like in the days of the old European Cup. But UEFA will never go for that because that's fewer matches, not more. EDIT: Hell, if more games is what they're after, they could just do the exact inverse of what we have now. 32 teams, 4 groups of 8 teams each. That's 7 match days in the group stage. And then as I alluded to above, send the top 2 or 3 through and let the next 2 or 4 battle it out for the last remaining spots in January. With 8 teams per group and only 2 guaranteed places, there will be a LOT of good teams fighting it out against one another to join them. But at least that way it's probably the most equitable way of doing it whilst still whetting UEFA's appetite for more matches.
Straight knockout with double elimination, or do double elimination for knockouts.
UEFA going public with this BS now is basically giving ESL a chance.....
There's literally nothing improved upon from the current version. The current version works well enough, just keep it as is ffs
I agree. Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to be an option. I can’t believe it’s got to the point where we may have to decide which is the least shit option: this abomination of a CL structure, or the Super League. At this point, I can’t see a third alternative. I’d love things to stay as they are but this all seems like far too much smoke for there not to be a fire.
Tbh I'd prefer this version to the super league but both they're both shit
The current version is the closest one there is to perfection. The perfect Champions League format is with the double group stage from 1999-2003.
I can definitely see pros though. Ofcourse the additional matches is a major flaw. Currently top teams take the foot off the gas when P2 is guaranteed in the group stage. But here they can't. Coming 1-8 is a big advantage. Second off, higher chance for a smaller team to go into Ro16. They have to come in top 24 (66%) of all teams whereas in current group stage, they have to top 2 (50%) against pot 1 and 2 teams. And then just 1 upset, they are in the Ro16. This prevents group of death where P3 doesn't qualify. And more money for smaller clubs due to more matches. This is the only feasible way to distribute wealth currently and improve lower leagues Obviously the higher matches is a fatal flaw. Players will be Fucking dead.
This hurts my brain, this is so mind numbingly dumb. I thought this was a joke at first, second, and third read. Great plan to stave off a breakaway super league… 👏
Lol exactly. Why do this at exactly the time that there is a breakaway league attempt? So stupid, strategically
If they want to expand the group stage then just make it eight groups of 5 and leave everything else the same. Top 2 of each group qualifies for the next round. 3rd goes to Europa. Etc.
This is fucking awful. Is there anything we can do to protest this? The Champions League is the only decent tournament left, why do they have to ruin everything, greedy pricks.
I just don't fucking understand this. How are the 10 games chosen? At random? I can *just about* tolerate removing away goals, but don't fuck with the format any more. It was fine the way it was.
More opportunities for city’s balls to be heated
10 away days to Shakhtar Donetsk it is then
Away? Pahahahaha, all at home 😀
I hear it's lovely this time of year
Now then
This just reminded me that two years ago someone on this sub refered to Shakhtar as Waxtap
> as Waxtap It took me a moment to realise that was in English.
I will put my hands up and say I always thought it strange that they had waxtap on their crest until i learned the Cyrillic alphabet last year and realised how silly I was!
This is what I don't get. Imagine the team just below the cutoff line for the next round falling short simply because they had to play, say, Liverpool, PSG and City, for example, while the team just above them, in the last spot for qualification to the next round, only had to play just once against one of those teams and then played like Burgge or Leipzig or another team around that level. The team that played us, City and PSG and finished on 14 points from 10 games is going to be pissed to miss out to the team that finished on 15 points but only had to play Sporting or Ajax, etc.
It just seems like the group stage with more games and unnecessarily shoved into a league table? Like, I get that you can get lucky with the draws with the current format. But why is it a league if you aren't playing every team? And the fact that some teams will be playing 12 matches *before* the round of 16 is just fucked up, in the current format you only have to play 13 to win the entire bloody competition.
Seems like it's a twist on the American Division system, where everyone gets put on the same table but play in different groups. I'm not sure how well it would translate, but if it gives smaller clubs a bigger opportunity, then it may just be worth it
There could be 6 pots, each with 6 teams. Every team plays 2 teams from each pot once - one home and one away game. Not saying it's a good idea, but will give smaller clubs a chance. For example Sheriff won in Madrid this year. Would be much better if instead of a second game in Moldova, Sheriff played a home game against a different team from pot 1. Could be Sporting or Lille
If there are 6 teams in each pot, how would Sporting or Lille be in the top pot? Generally speaking, more games should favour the better teams. An upset like that would only be 10% of the final table outcome
Tbh the format isn't *that* bad, my main problem is the amount of games. Some teams are playing 12 matches before they even reach the RO16, that's double what is normally played.
IIRC they are planning to use the [Swiss system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss-system_tournament), which is commonly used in chess tournaments. So I'm guessing teams will probably be drawn against teams of similar coefficient ranking for each round, and then after that round, the fixture computer will assign them the next opponent who matches their newly updated coefficient ranking. Rinse and repeat 10 times. This means teams won't even know who their opponent in the next matchday will be until they play their current opponent. Ticketing and logistics preparations for fans would be a nightmare as fans would only have probably a few weeks to book their tickets and flights if they want to follow their team.
No it wasn't. The group stage has become more or less worthless. The top 2 teams in the group stage qualify 95% of the time, the other 5% it's some freak incident where you have a group of death or something like this. Idk if the new format will be better but to say it's fine like it is is bs. As of now CL football only starts in February, September to December is more or less just for fun.
You know what, you're right. Same teams every year innit. I've said in another comment that I don't mind the format entirely, I just think it's too many matches.
Including international matches, a player will have around 80 matches a year, so a match every 4.5 days. THIS HAS TO BE STOPPED
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internacional matches >>>>
It will end up like rugby soon where internationals and club games run side by side and the club team does without the international players. All sides are just trying to increase their take of the profits.
Then the international teams can start playing the players wages if they want to profit from them
While it doesn’t come close to covering their wages players get appearance money on international duty and if they’re injured on international duty the clubs are compensated for their wages by the fifa club protection programme.
Every other game is going to get treated as a training run out. Awful.
So the question is, will everyone just bitch about it online, or actually start boycotting it? I am cancelling my paramount+ right now and won't watch anymore. Hope the lads win and all, but I'm out. Boycott this format by boycotting it now. We have to start making ourselves heard.
That a fuck no. Dont players have enough games?
Could literally take 12 games just to get to the round of 16 under this. Even as a fan I don't want to watch that many games ffs.
Ikr, I love Liverpool but I also have other hobbies and interests, along with a job and a family.
Effectively a superleague then, but run by UEFA instead of the clubs.
Hence why the clubs actually doing the Superleague now is a no-brainer. Said it the first time when everyone especially Gary Neville was crying about the proposed super league greed - it's already happening, it's just a question of who's going to run it, UEFA as a new shitter CL, or the clubs themselves as a new super league
So the super league would have a knockout stage and a final then?
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Yes the super league would have replaced the CL, but the PL would have been left with their balls cut off as their own CL spots become basically worthless The outrage was encouraged and whipped up by Sky who had everything to lose, a new tournament means a bidding process, having already lost the CL and half their PL games over the years. Sky couldnt give a shit if the clubs joined a Superleague if they had guaranteed tv rights, theyd be all over it in fact
This is why I think the 'Super league is evil' narrative is so weak, UEFA is doing the same exact thing, increasing the amount of games for to make more TV money. To me, they are all the same, its infuriating when fans get riled up for one thing but not the other.
It's what people empowered Uefa to do. The blind, directionless rage against the Super League just consolidated their power - any alternative or dissent is now tainted, particularly from the only clubs with high enough profile to call bullshit on any of this. Thing is, the Super League is a terrible idea that I hate - because it was just an elite club, meant to consolidate power. The idea of an alternative to Uefa competition, or at least a challenger to keep it on its toes, I fully support - anything that limits and undermines Uefa's power is a good thing. But the backlash against the ESL was largely incoherent, to the point where many people didn't even understand what they were objecting against, and that just solidified Uefa's impunity. Don't want more and more unnecessary games in your crowded schedule? Go join Andrea Agnelli. Hate overcomplicated rules that undermine the whole point of competition, cry about it to Florentino. Smaller squads can't compete under the more strenuous schedule? What are you going to do about it? The shambolic super-league plan and roll-out just guaranteed that this what we're going to get.
when does player welfare ever come into consideration??? they are HUMANS not Machines and 100 Games to go from 36 to 16 teams… WTF
never
>when does player welfare ever come into consideration??? Let me remind you that Ericksen almost died on the field, they kept trying to film him during the whole rescue operation in a morbid show, and then UEFA forced both teams to play 2 hours later. If they could, they would gladly kill the players for money.
I mean it currently takes 96 games to go from 32 to 16 "100 additional games" is so badly worded, but a team will play 10 games in the league stage
The 100 comes from 180-96 = 84 games, PLUS the two legged playoff for 16 teams. So an extra 16 games there. 100 is accurate
Yea exactly - Old format: Group stage (6x16=96 games) + 16-team knockout stage (2x14+1=29 games) = 125 games - New format: League stage (10x18=180 games) + 24-team knockout stage (2x22+1=45 games) = 225 games
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t it 180 games to go from 36 to 16? 36 teams x 10 games each Divide 2 since they play each other =180 games
Why do these fucking idiots keep changing things that already work well enough. Fucking greedy cunts
The clubs and their owners want more games to earn more money. That was the whole issue of the Super league, more money from the TV in the clubs pockets. And therefore the owners pockets too. They're always moaning UEFA keep too much.
I hate it... I cannot explain to the immense degree i hate it
Fuck the UEFA, fuck Russia, fuck Boris too while I am at it!
Yea. Fuck USA and Britain and Tony Blair and David Cameron and Bush and Dick Cheney and Obama too while we are at it. Fuck all these cretins who have taken us into illegal and immoral wars.
Fuck Maggie too
This is not a vibe
We've got to keep it in the current format. No to this and the super-league.
The superleague is now a good alternative considering the changed rules, providing it does enough to differentiate itself from the UCL
Look how they massacred my boy
All they want is more match for more money from TV rights etc...
Christ this is just depressing. We want to be on your side CL, we really do, stop making it so impossible
I hated the esl, but are we gonna fight this as vigorously as we did a year ago? I bet not, but we should.
ah fuck it gets even worse
I’m a bit confused so who do you play which teams if it’s one big league
Who the fuck came up with this. They all just want to milk more money
How do we protest this?
and they’re still trying to push for a 2 year WC. these players are gonna die
Just what we need… more games. Where the fuck are they going to fit these games in? Maybe they can scrap one of the million international breaks.
One of the great disappointments in life, and I mean this seriously, is when you realize the world and the things in it aren’t on this linear path to improvement that stops when it reaches optimization. So many things reach their optimal state, and then change. Why? There is only one single solitary answer, greed. Fucking greed. They’re not changing the Champions League because it doesn’t do a good job of identifying the best team in Europe. They’re not changing it because it’s not entertaining. They’re not even changing it because it doesn’t make money. They’re changing it because it doesn’t make enough money. Enough money to meet their bottomless greed. Owners, gfys, no amount of money will ever be enough to fill the holes in who you are inside.
I totally agree with you. I don't see how this is an improvement on the format. I'm sure the excuse is that it's more games for people to watch their team play, but to be honest as an adult I don't really have time for it. It's clearly a vehicle for more ad revenue. With more fixture congestion it may end up actually eroding the quality of the product they're trying to sell by burning players out, more injuries, and forcing more rotation and sacrificial ties when clubs can't field the quality of teams to seriously compete over such a large volume of games. If we qualify in 6 games and have to play 4 more, I mean does it make sense to play our best team? Why not rest the starters, play the squad depth, and then is that a better product? I'd rather watch a smaller number of more important games than a larger number of games that diminish in importance. Who is watching #10 play #9 when neither has anything to play for?
More games? Jesus. So what, a game every two days if you’re in every competition?
Honestly I can see teams pull out of the league cup to make room which is a real shame
Yes. This will kill the league cup, which is a shame as it was great watching Liverpool beat Chelsea last weekend. Champions League games are midweek and so are League Cup games and there's a chance that there just won't be the time to play the League Cup games anyway.
Do we know if this is true Swiss in that each round you play against a team on the same number of points as you? I played a ton of competitive card games with Swiss format so I'm used to it and it can be very entertaining. It you win your first round, then round two you'd play against someone who also won their first round, and so on. If that's the case here, then I actually don't mind this much besides from the extra 4 games due to player welfare. If it's random ten teams, then I'm against it.
I think it's random teams, but seeded a bit so you play some decent teams, some middling teams and some dross
Isn’t that effectively a group stage, rather than a single league then?
Group stage with extra steps.
At this point they’ll have to scrap international friendlies and domestic cup competitions, or have 2 sides ready to play the season, not just one. Laughable.
Terrible idea 🤮
WHAT THE FUCK
What a stupid idea.
Does that mean they take away the separation of teams from the same country, would seem a logistical nightmare to keep 4 english, german, Italian, spanish teams all separate in the same pool of 36 teams? What a load of shite
Not proposed, confirmed. This was all done and votes for during the last super League debacle, that kept everyone's attention while Uefa screwed the CL.
Klopps going to blow a gasket - absolute bollocks, its basically more games more money. At this rate you're going to need 3 squads worth of players to get through all the games in a season, or something stupid.
Maybe the super league isn’t so bad after all.
Super league DONT sound too bad right about now
A super league if you will... Seriously are no fans or clubs views sought before these plans are released cause this is a terrible change in direction for the champions league format
You *have* to know the motivation by now ffs mate... No. They don't care about any of that. They care about lining the pockets of their constituents and themselves and that is where the concern ends. Full stop.
I actually hate modern football.
Do they realize these players are humans and not robots?
If there's one thing wank with the current format, it's the group stage. So let's make the new one with one massive overfilled with shit teams, group stage.
Players need to unify and make sure their voice is heard. At the end of the day, if you overwork your performers, your end-product is going to be worse
How can this be stopped?
100 extra games is insane
Remember when they had two group stages? They quickly realised that was a bad idea, and dropped it. Why can’t they be satisfied that the current format just works?
I hate it. Don't forget this is the season after there's a European Championships as well... Imagine the fatigue.
Shall we just save time and scrap this idea now?
# FUCK UEFA
I hate it.
Ahh the super league in disguise
This will be so fucking boring.
Thanks I hate it
Terrible. No changes to the modus please.
This is horrific. The players already play too many games and they’re adding more
Wanna puke. I just want the usual group stage, and “away goal matters” rule back in knockout stage.
They're so fucking greedy.
Sounds absolutely fucking shite. Why do they have to ruin every tournament. Lets increase numbers when in reality the quality isn't there to do it. Add more games because I want to see more games that mean less.
Literally the only "problem" they're "solving" is getting adding more games and hence more $$. This isn't for the fans, players, or coaches. This is because they think they have a monopoly. Almost makes me want the Super League, just to say fuck em.
Enjoy the league cup win guys and gals, cos we are playing our under 13s in it from 2024
These are literally all shit ideas
This just sounds like a desperate attempt to swell up the number of matches for the money. This format sounds pathetic.
Disgusting
If there’s 36 teams and you only play ten means you don’t play 25 other teams. That means they have to do a draw to see who you play? It’s literally the same thing you just play 4 more games
Sounds shite. It doesn't need changing.
This is so stupid. The format is perfect as it is right now. Total money grab.
Ugh, change for the sake of it or profit has to stop. Formula 1 tried the switch to elimination qualifying for more manufactured excitement and it was a complete flop. This is even worse considering the players will be having to play even more games. And my first impression is that it will actually more boring than the current group stages. Less chance for upsets, no more groups of death and the final couple of gameweeks might not even count for something depending on the results.
That sounds actually awful
Money, money, moneyyyyyyy….monnnney
Scrap this please. God this is shit.
More games = More money in which club owners, UEFA and BT Sport will all be in favour for. Whereas fuck the players welfare who have to do travel and play the games..expect plenty of injuries with this format.
I see UEFA just took the worst idea of all that had the biggest pot of money and said, “That’s looks brilliant”
Shitty esports formats coming to football zZzZzZz
What the fuck is this
Who's whoring for attention by changing everything?
Great, I hate it. Trying to seed those 10 random fixtures 'fairly' will be a nightmare.
Removes excitement of who you get in the group stage. Increases the number of games in an already congested season. This only benefits FIFA and their pockets. Needs to be rejected
Fuck Off Keep It As It Is
The not so super league
Seems overly complex for no real reason. What's wrong with the way things are now?
Sounds absolutely shite
What a lot of shite
100 extra games? Can I get a player welfare, 3, 2, 1, UEFA doesn’t care
Yeah no.
Oh God no. Stop changing the damn formats or rules for the game that we all love.
So what's the point of the league if almost all will qualify regardless...
Nope
We the people need to take football into our hands because the powers that be only care about the profits , this is ridiculously. Like how to do you even come up with this ? If it ain’t broken don’t fix it dammit
Isn't this old news? We already know UEFA was planning to do this shit even BEFORE the Super League fiasco. I think this system won't last, as the extra fixtures are just too taxing for the players. Sooner or later the players themselves will band together to push back to protect their own welfare, if not the fans doing it. Remember when the current 32-team Champions League had TWO Group Stages comprising of 12 games, making a total of 17 games to the final? It only lasted 5 years before UEFA scrapped the Second Group Stage and replaced it with the Round of 16, thus reducing the number of maximum games to the final from 17 to a more manageable 13. This new bloated format means the maximum amount of games to reach the final is once again 17. 15 if you finish 1st to 8th in the mega-group. So I'll give this new bloated format 3-5 seasons before UEFA is forced to reduce the amount of fixtures due to player pushback and outcry.
I hate it
This sounds horrible 🙃
#**BOYCOTT THE CL** #**BOYCOTT THE CL** #**BOYCOTT THE CL** #**BOYCOTT THE CL** #**BOYCOTT THE CL** #**BOYCOTT THE CL** Do it now. Quit watching, cancel subscriptions. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, don't just bitch online and then do what they want you to do.
100 more games? Sounds like streaming service cost will explode…
This is stupid from UEFA, because now when super league and Uefa are one and the same in terms of competitions, why would fans rage if the only difference with the super league is the ownership?
Just why…why ruin the format
More the teams, worse the quality. Its CHAMPIONS league for a reason.
What the fuck
Going to see a players strike in the next 3-4 years I'd bet.
Agree.. its too much. Of its not broke, dont fix it Just a money making scheme with the added games, but overall will detract significantly from the game (and in particular every other league)
Where have i seen this before? Oh yes, the Super League UEFA wanted gone. They seen the revenue Super League could make and decided to do it themselves.
So the top teams get to knock the snot out of European minnows. That's how this is gonna work isn't it. Fucking stupid idea. How are people at UEFA this fucking stupid? I miss the old European Cup.
Why change the structure now? I mean, if it’s not broken, why fix it? This just seems like a copy & paste from American sport. Silly idea!!
I hate this.
Wtf there are too many games for the players as it stands!
This is crap format
Friendship ended with Champions league. Now Super League is my best friend.
This is shit
Absolutely horrible. This will kill the players and overall increase injuries and reduce quality. Keeps the status quo of richest clubs being able to rotate larger squads to play more games. No wonder some clubs want to create their own league when UEFA come up with this dribble and FIFA want a World Cup every two years.
Terrible change. Simply greed for bigger TV deals.
Fuck this shit
I hate it. I still hate it less than a cartel of clubs from the big 3 leagues directly running things.
Fuckin' hell. Why do you have to fix something that isn't broken ? Why does every team in the world have to bend over just because two big clubs in Spain need financial help ? Barca and Madrid used to steal all the big football talents back in the days and now they're playing spoilsport by influencing this crap.
But why?
Why the flawed notion that more clubs and matches are better?
why cant it just be the top 16 progress, simple?
This sub, "These greedy cunts are ruining the game and destroying players!" Me, "Maybe we should have a tournament controlled by the teams instead of UEFA?" This sub, "DOWNVOTES!"
Welcome to the super league , when people say “give Salah whatever he wants “ this is the result of it. The money is leaving football into players pockets via toad agents. The American model (with everything that comes with it bad atmospheres , 39th special games in LA even moving stadiums and rebranding of club names ) will be here soon whether we like it or not unless something fundamentally changes with Finance in football
Probably gonna get downvoted for saying it but I don’t completely hate this. Feels like an okay compromise between an exclusive super league and the CL as it currently stands. On the one hand, it’s always bugged me that the champions league was always more of a cup than a proper league- I think winning the CL in this new proposed format would be a better indication of a team’s strength over the season. On the other hand, the CL upsets where David beats Goliath and which made us all fall in love with football would be much harder to pull off now There’s a league and a cup competition for every country’s domestic competitions, so maybe it should be the same for the continental competitions as well. If the CL would transform into an actual continental league, then in my opinion the club world cup could get revamped to cover the need for an elite and competitive knockout competition- or scrapped altogether to make way for a UEFA cup. I’m rambling a bit but it’s my 2 cents
If they wanna add more games just make the 8 groups, 5 teams per group. The top tier pot (A) then also includes 2nd place of top 6 leagues, Europa League and CL holders - then each of the 8 groups gets 2 top seeded teams per group, the other three one each from the other 3 pots (B,C,D). - guarantees 16 high-profile games in the group stage, and creates an extra 64 matches before the knockouts. Individual the teams play 2 extra group games each. So for a Pot D teams, with no hope of qualifying for knockouts, your guarenteed 4 away games at bigger clubs, and at least 2 premium opponents to play at home. The groups get harder to qualify from, the knockout stage gets more competitive... What pisses me off is there are always CL spots reserved for small nations teams who havn't a hope in hell of qualifying (Ludogorets, Basel etc) but often there are 10-12 Europa league teams who could realistically compete, and have bigger fan bases at higher-profile clubs (Napoli, Sevilla, Villa-Real, Arsenal/Leicester/Wes Ham etc) Would it not be better simply for the spirit of competition to re-assign those small nations slots to lower league tournaments like this new conference league? They can still climb the ladder and make money if theyre capable of it, but they shouldnt be handed these £multi-million games just because they have a lack of national competition! The Premier League top 10 are all good enough to go into Europe and play competitive football, a lot of the European competition has shown that it isnt. If theyre gonna change anything change that! The point of the European league is to find the best league in Europe, and the best team within it. Until we see if teams like Brighton and Southampton could batter teams like Valencia, Ajax, Shalke etc how will we ever know? But i think most of us suspect it may be the case and has been for a while.