UEFA made an offer they couldn't refuse?

[Nice One Cyril]

Italy were the big winners in the latest Champions League carve-up. Mediocre, over-rated, entitled Italy. UEFA’s decision to award the four biggest leagues in Europe four guaranteed entries in the group stage in future will have minimal effect in Spain, England and Germany.
But in Italy it’s a lottery win. At least lottery millionaires have got off their backsides and bought a ticket, though. It’s more than Italian clubs have done in Europe lately.

At the moment, Italy get three Champions League places — except they don’t, because they’re not good enough. They start off with three, end up with two — because the third-placed team is invariably knocked out at the qualifying stage. An Italian team has been eliminated in the play-off round in six of the last seven seasons — so by what reasoning are we now finding room for even more inferior Serie A sides in what is meant to be an elite competition?

The tie of the play-off round this year was Porto versus Roma — except Roma were utterly ill-disciplined, had two men sent off and were brushed aside 3-0 in Tuesday’s second leg at home. Dundalk and Hapoel Beer Sheva were closer to qualifying. Before that, Lazio lost to Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli to Athletic Bilbao; Udinese went out to Sporting Braga on penalties in 2012 and to Arsenal in 2011 and Werder Bremen beat Sampdoria in 2010. It leaves AC Milan’s 4-1 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven in 2013 as Italy’s sole play-off success this decade. No wonder their lame duck also-rans want protection.

The play-off losers go into the Europa League but it is not as if Italian clubs have greater pedigree there. Of the five most recent arrivals from the Champions League play-off stage only one, Napoli in 2014-15, has made it past the last 16, falling to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the semi-finals.
Of the rest, Lazio and Udinese were eliminated in the last 16 by Sparta Prague and AZ Alkmaar, and Sampdoria came third in Group I in 2010-11, behind PSV Eindhoven and Metalist Kharkiv, and in 2012-13, Udinese finished bottom of Group A behind Liverpool, Anzhi Makhachkala and Young Boys. Nothing in recent years suggests the third or fourth best team in Italy are fitting recipients of guaranteed entry to the Champions League. Juventus are outliers, carrying Italian football right now.

There has been widespread alarm that half of the 32 group-stage places will now go to just four nations, but the ratio has not been far from that for many years. Since 2009-10, when the play-off round was introduced, the elite quartet of La Liga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Serie A have had the potential to take up 15 teams each season, minimum, and 16 in the last two years.

The most they have successfully entered is 15 on three occasions and the lowest number is 13, twice. With Sevilla winning the Europa League, Spain would have had five teams in the groups this season, had Villarreal not lost to Monaco in the play-offs.

Yet Spain, England and Germany usually hold their end up. Italy do not. The swindle in the new arrangement is the pressure applied by failing Italian clubs, particularly those in Milan, who have been agitating for UEFA to hand out wild cards for ‘historical’ success. Having fallen hugely behind Juventus domestically, and the rest of Europe financially, they were threatening breakaways and revolution, unless a way could be found back to the top table.

This new set-up is being advanced as the least worst option — but it is still a tawdry capitulation by rudderless UEFA, promising the clubs even greater shares of revenue, and expanding Italian influence when Serie A’s representatives have long ceased being a collective force in Europe.
Instead of seeking fairer wealth distribution to keep domestic competition strong, UEFA have again bought into more inequality, more mediocrity, and favoured the wealthy and established. In doing so, they have again devalued a prestige competition. If the third best team in Italy isn’t good enough for the Champions League, what price the fourth?

[Ippatsu Geinin]

Bring back the European cup.

[ozzie owl]

Bring back the European cup.

Champions League , should be what is says , not an appeasement to the super rich clubs.

[Juventino]

TV money strikes again. Now the big clubs are happy and UEFA gets two clubs from their four biggest associations each night of the Champions League group stage.

[N5 1BH]

One step closer to the super league??

[Juventino]

Or UEFA's way of trying to appease the clubs into not making a super league.

[ozzie owl]

One step closer to the super league??

The big clubs will just keep milking the game.

[Old Master]

One step closer to the super league??

The big clubs will just keep milking the game.

Nothing's changed since the proposal to form a 'super' league was first put forward, except a few clubs have come and gone from the list.

[God is an Englishman]

Bring back the European cup.

Champions League , should be what is says , not an appeasement to the super rich clubs.

I agree with O_O, oh dear God we're all in trouble

[BAGGIO 15]

Bring back the European cup.

I agree. Only Champions should take part from each nation as well as possibly the cup winner.
I liked the old days when teams like Ajax and Red Star could win based on home grown talent.
Money is driving the changes and all bar the wealthy elite suffer.

[ozzie owl]

Bring back the European cup.

I agree. Only Champions should take part from each nation as well as possibly the cup winner.
I liked the old days when teams like Ajax and Red Star could win based on home grown talent.
Money is driving the changes and all bar the wealthy elite suffer.

UEFA has to stop bending over backwards to appease the big clubs every time they threaten to break away.

[Stitch This]

UEFA has to stop bending over backwards to appease the big clubs every time they threaten to break away.

Just like the FFSA

[Ippatsu Geinin]

How else were Campletown going to win a premiership?

[thebeautifulgame]

Couldn't agree more with previous posts regarding Champion's League (should the title not count for something) for God's sake. Only a matter of time before before the big boys break away (super rich and getting richer) and they call it something else- the Champions of Champions or the Champions Elite or some similar nonsense. Anything to fill the fat cats pockets and it is all good and acceptable. Thought that our great game was to be cleansed (after Blatter debacle) but it stinks of double standards and corruption. Was told as a child that sport and politics should not be mixed or spoken in the same sentence- though the intention was good in practice it is a fallacy and must be disregarded in today's society. Big Sam is done for stealing the crusts (yes he deserved to be punished) but these guys are on a three course meal every day (suck it up little man, we don't care).

[Bomber]

I see Legia Warsaw scored 4 goals away to Borussia Dortmund yesterday. Impressive!

[Vernon Howell]

I see Legia Warsaw scored 4 goals away to Borussia Dortmund yesterday. Impressive!

[Vernon Howell]

Last night nine news referred to Club Brugge as being a Dutch club.

[God is an Englishman]

Last night nine news referred to Club Brugge as being a Dutch club.

[Facts and Stats]

they also talked about the Australian Cricket Team...i haven't seen them as a team for a while.