UEFA IS ON A LEASH AND KEEPS MAKING MISTAKES. THE NEW CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? GIVE ME A BREAK

UEFA claims that the new Champions League means more matches, more excitement, more unpredictability, and more games between the biggest clubs. But the question remains: who is this change really for? And is it truly for the fans?

In its promotional video, UEFA humorously poked fun at the new Champions League format. Players like Gianluigi Buffon, Luis Figo, and Rodri complain about not understanding the changes. "What is this?! It's so complicated!" - they say. Finally, Zlatan Ibrahimović appears to explain the new rules but is cut off by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin just as he starts to mention the Super Le... The music stops, silence falls, and Ceferin smugly says, "I told you... it will never happen", mocking the rebellious Super League clubs, led by Florentino Perez of Real Madrid. It’s a funny and self-aware take by UEFA, but also accurate – the new format is indeed complicated.

Real Madryt screen

The number of teams will increase from 32 to 36. Instead of the old eight groups of four, teams will be placed into one giant group. Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents - four home and four away - without any return legs. Opponents will be selected through a computerized draw, as a traditional draw would take nearly four hours. At the end, the top eight teams will advance directly to the knockout stage, while the teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a playoff round. Winners will join the knockout phase, while losers will be eliminated. In short, that's the system.

UEFA rightly noted that the group stage had become predictable and boring in recent years. After the draw, you could almost immediately predict the two favorites in each group who would advance. These predictions often came true, with 15 of the richest clubs consistently reaching the knockout stages. On average, only one major surprise occurred per edition, like the elimination of Barcelona, Juventus, or Manchester United. UEFA now promises that the new format will provide more excitement and unpredictability, and we won’t have to wait until the knockout stages to see matches between the biggest clubs.

However, the problem wasn't the format, but the structural financial inequalities. The gap in club budgets is so enormous that it kills competition from the start. Just look at Tuesday's match between Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb, which ended 9-2! Other matches that day were also predictable: Liverpool beat Milan, Juventus beat PSV, Aston Villa beat Young Boys, and Real Madrid beat VfB Stuttgart. No reform will make it easier for teams like Atalanta, Benfica, or Porto to defeat Real Madrid, Manchester City, or PSG. To level the playing field, UEFA would first need to stop funneling money to the richest clubs. But that’s not in UEFA’s plans - this season’s prize pool will increase by over 30% to €2.5 billion, and the wealthiest clubs will, of course, take the largest share. The disparities will only grow.

2024-09-18T12:01:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd