Go Platini, go!!!

[Craig_H]

Platini considering scrapping Europa League in favour of extending Champions League

The 56-year-old is understood to be planning on widening Europe's premier club competition to 64 teams, but at the cost of the secondary tournament, which could be defunct by 2016

Uefa president Michel Platini has contemplated the idea of scrapping the Europa League in favour of extending the Champions League to 64 teams in four years time, according to Bild.

In what would be the biggest shake-up in Europe's club competitions since the rebranding of the European Cup to its current form in 1992, the former France midfielder is reportedly planning on creating a single continental tournament.

Currently, the secondary competition generates far lower revenue for clubs than is produced by the Champions League, a problem Platini is increasingly concerned about, while it has been a target for much criticism since its evolution from the Uefa Cup in 2009.

To address this, Platini wants to increase the number of teams in the Champions League group stage to 64 teams in 2016, effectively absorbing most of the clubs from the Europa League.

Renowned European nations such as Spain, England and Germany would then be given six league berths each in their respective top-flight divisions.

In addition, the reform would ensure more scope would be given to lesser countries, including those from the likes of Latvia, Belarus and Slovakia.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2915/europa-league/2012/04/07/3020248/platini-considering-scrapping-europa-league-in-favour-of

This could be our chance!

[Craig_H]

From another article:

UEFA president Michel Platini is considering scrapping the Europa League and extending the Champions League to 64 clubs from 2016.

A report in the German newspaper Bild claims that Platini is concerned at a lack of interest in the Europa League and would look instead to double the size of the Champions League while ensuring that smaller nations would also be represented in Europe’s premier competition.

Bild claims that the three highest-ranked domestic leagues in Europe – currently England, Spain and Germany – would each receive six places in the expanded line-up. Four of those six places would go straight into the 64-team group stages – up from three at present – while the other spots would be filled via the play-off round. At present the fourth-placed club in each of those leagues goes into the play-off.

UEFA hoped to revive interest in the Europa League when it renamed the UEFA Cup in 2009 but the competition still generates much lower revenues than the Champions League and Platini is said to be concerned at the disparity between the two competitions.

Any change would take place at the beginning of the new TV deal which is not expected until 2016 and would see the biggest shake-up in European club competition since the creation of the Champions League in 1992.

The decision could result in a revitalisation of domestic cup competitions. In a number of countries, including England, the winners of the equivalent of the FA Cup are given a berth in the following season’s Europa League. Under the new proposal the FA Cup winners would receive a spot in the Champions League play-off round. The English League Cup winners are also currently given a spot in the Europa League along with one other side.

[TheElephantMan]

This would make more sense and change the name of the competition from the Champions League. The Europa League is rubbish - it's still silverware, but there's little to gain from being in the competition unless you actually win the thing. I'd rather not be in a European competition, the Europa isn't worth the fixture problems it causes.

[ChesterDave]

I could tolerate it if it were 16 groups with only the winner qualifying from the group, although I suppose that would limit the chance of smaller teams getting through to the knock outs.

[Craig_H]

Surely it'd be 16 groups and top 2 qualify, making a knockout round of 32, then 16 and so on.

[ChesterDave]

Its the most likely option, but not sure where the would slide the extra 2 midweek fixtures in. You could see a drive to reduce the number of teams in the top division. Then you'd have the scnario of 6 out of 18 teams qualifying for Europe.

Countries that have a winter break will really struggle without cutting the league matches or having a very short close-season

[Craig_H]

With the Europa gone, it'd surely be games on Tues, Weds and Thursday nights.

[Alex]

So basically what will happen is that it'll be top 4 in the league and two cup comps. Could make them more competitive. But I've never liked the idea that you could win 7 games and win the FA cup and get in the champions league. It's too easy.

[Darkon]

So basically what will happen is that it'll be top 4 in the league and two cup comps. Could make them more competitive. But I've never liked the idea that you could win 7 games and win the FA cup and get in the champions league. It's too easy.

I like the idea of rewarding the win of a competition better than rewarding a secondary finish in the league, getting a huge financial reward for finishing fourth in the PL makes little sense to me. I know that won't change by this, but it's better rewarding cup wins IMO.

[Darkon]

Overall I guess it's a better idea than the current system that is really flawed IMO. Could in theory create more competitive domestic leagues.

Not sure how the system would work, but it would be hard to make the groups larger than 4 teams due to the amount of games.

[Ben_Itez]

I'm generally in favour of Platini's ideas, it'd definitely be a way of distributing money throughout the game better and particularly in the 'larger' football countries it'd revitalise the domestic cup competitions.

The best thing of all though is that they could call it the European Cup again

[lfcred]

I think it's a terrible idea! The champions league group stages are bad enough at the moment, what would the point be in Real and Barca playing some rubbish teams from Slovakia?? Nobody is going to want to watch that!!

[Darth Marty]

Im torn. Ideally i like it to be just the league winners in the European Cup/Champions League competition but then of course we would never be in it. So for that reason I guess im in for Platinis idea. I dont like Platini though, hes a ****ing tool.

[Kenneth]

I think it's a terrible idea! The champions league group stages are bad enough at the moment, what would the point be in Real and Barca playing some rubbish teams from Slovakia?? Nobody is going to want to watch that!!

A lot of Barca fans and Slovakian fans would. They wouldn't be playing ****e every game either.

The CL is so far away from the old European cup already that this seems like the logical next step. I think its generally a good idea.

[SimonNo7]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2915/...e-in-favour-of

This could be our chance!

Oh dear. I cannot think of anything worse than an extended Champions League.

I dare say it will have a round where the top teams get to play as many times as it takes to get through at the expense of spirited lesser teams so as to keep the entertainment going...