Such is the increasing power of Europe's big clubs - most notably in Spain, as Barcelona and Real Madrid have until recently sold their own TV rights for millions with the lower clubs making very little - the feeling is that they will soon surpass UEFA and establish their own European Super League.
With the power vacuum that now exists at UEFA as Michel Platini is suspended, this may be an opportunity for the clubs to pounce.
Oliver Kay of The Times reported last week that the first stage of such a movement may have been set in motion at a meeting of the European Club Association (ECA). The meeting was supposed to be secret, but it has been leaked that the meeting proposed that four places in the Champions League be ringfenced for the traditional powerhouses of European football from the 2018/19 season.
This would guarantee the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan a wildcard position in the Champions League, in spite of poor performances domestically.
The argument at the meeting was that some of the biggest clubs, with the greatest star power and sponsorship opportunities, were having their route to the Champions League blocked by competition domestically.
An alternative admission policy was considered at the meeting, with four places reserved for clubs "due to their status as strategic markets for the competition". Basically, the teams that are likely to be a major draw for TV viewers (in spite of Louis Van Gaal's current efforts to make them unwatchable, Manchester United are a prime example) will be given a spot as it would increase revenue.
Today, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has backed the plan in an interview with the BBC:
For the interest of the football, it could be that a wildcard be given to a football club. That is not my decision of course, it is a decision for UEFA, but why not?
Sometimes, if you have a bad season for whatever reason, it is a very big punishment for a club not to play in the Champions League that year.
The removal of any merit in qualification will sever ties between domestic leagues and European competition, and should it happen, would likely be the first step in the inevitable formation of a European Super League, a party to which only the rich and powerful need apply.
Watch Bartomeu's full interview here.
