Journalist Gabrielle Marcotti of The Times and ESPN has broken some major Champions League changes. The alterations to the format of the competition are the kind of alterations one would expect from a capitalist society: the rich are just going to keep on getting richer.
UEFA's Executive Committee will ratify the following changes later this month:
From 2018-19, top 4 leagues will have 16 guaranteed spots in CL. UEFA ExCo to approve late August. Rich get richer. #onepercenters
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) August 15, 2016
That essentially means that the side who finishes fourth in England, Spain and Germany will not have to qualify for the group stage via the play-offs, the fate which awaits Man City tomorrow night against Steaua Bucharest.
Presumably, the fourth league extends to Serie A, which currently only has three spots on offer owing to their lousy coefficient. This will also mean that English side's rubbish performances in Europe will have no impact on the coefficient, something which briefly worried the English football consciousness in the throes of English ineptitude last season, before Man City's semi-final run and Liverpool's Europa League final appearance assuaged those concerns.
These changes will mean we will be subject once more to the same sides playing in the same games, meaning opportunities will be even fewer for smaller clubs like Dundalk to muscle their way upon Europe's top table.
The issue of club power is a major concern for UEFA. The clubs have realised their power, and UEFA's competition is nothing without their involvement. The increased money going to the Premier League is causing alarm among clubs across Europe, who are worried about left behind. Next year's ranking of the wealthiest 30 football clubs in the world will include all 20 Premier League clubs.
Hence the clubs feel they need to flex their muscles in order to maximise revenue streams.
Oliver Kay of the Times broke the news earlier this year that the European Clubs Association were proposing a rule whereby clubs were guaranteed a position in the Champions League regardless of domestic performance: something that will be soon known as the Istanbul Rule (most applicable to Liverpool and AC Milan). This plan was publicly backed by Barcelona's president.
This absurd plan was actually proposed:
Re: Champions League revamp, some big clubs wanted more: wild card for historical merit, weekend games, co-ownership of competition
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) August 15, 2016
These changes are evidently a compromise on UEFA's part, but the worry is the fact that this may be the first step on its way to a European Super League, to which only the richest are invited.
See Also: Constant Crisis: 5 Memorable Opening Day Arsenal Results
See Also: Weekend TV Review: Looking At BT's Ridiculous Rival To Soccer Saturday And Gary Lineker's Majestic Body
