Platini plots Champions League changes

chelsea_fan

chelsea_fan

EPL LEAGUE
3 December 2004
northpole
chelsea fc
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=404765&cc=5739

Michel Platini celebrated being voted in as the new UEFA president and then announced he will push ahead with controversial changes to the Champions League.

Platini, who won a tough contest against incumbent Lennart Johansson, will present proposals in April which from 2009-10 would limit the number of clubs in Europe's elite competition to three from any one country.

The Football Association and Premier League are expected to go to work to try to persuade Platini to maintain the status quo which allows England, Spain and Italy to have four clubs qualify.

Platini said: 'The new format of the Champions League is for 2009.

'I talked about finding a better equilibrium for the number of clubs and that's for 2009-10.
 
Good news indeed. I'm sure there will be overriding panic ensuing at Liverpool and Arsenal as the breaking news of Platini being voted in as the new President of UEFA hits home.

How did SAF put it........"Sqeaky bum time" for the perinial 3rd and 4th place teams.

No more easy rides to a champions league spot any more boys and girls. No more 5th placed teams winning the champions league and begging for special dispensations every year as the UEFA darlings.
 
I think the moment you start giving lesser teams entry to the competition it will decline the value of the CL making a winner in the early stages. Take it with a grain of salt I think it`s just political talking only(PR)
 
Alucard said:
No more 5th placed teams winning the champions league and begging for special dispensations every year as the UEFA darlings.
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...Champions of Europe should always be allowed to defend their title even if they got relegated.

Milanista said:
Sir Alex in an interview wanted to keep the 4 teams.
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The reason slur Alex wants to keep it 4 teams is because he looks around and sees Chelsea buying a spot, Arsenal having a bright future with their youngsters (they've already shown what they can do against the big teams in the Prem this season, they'll only get stronger) and Liverpool getting more and more consistent every season with Rafa at the helm (even more so if the investment goes through). Out of the top 4 the mancs look like they'll struggle the most in the foreseeable future, ageing players and mediocre replacements their the ones that'll have "squeaky bum time" as Alucard put it unless they start building a team (not relying on individuals) with quality replacements for Scholes, Giggs, Neville, Van Der Sar etc.
 
We have replacements for van der sar (Kuscjack and foster). Bardsley and those two Brazilain brothers for Neville. That other Brazilian kid can come in for Giggs. Scholes may be a problem but it's not gloom and doom.
People said we were finished last year and look now. We're good enough to be at the top for a couple of years yet.
 
It's a couple of brothers LB and RB. The other kid is a winger that can run with the ball on his head ;) Apparently we've already bought them. They're just waiting for work permits and will probably go to Belgium first.
 
Splendid idea from Platini...three teams for a country is already too much..
 
Simple question, when is this going to happen as for a start next seasons places are already decided?

It will be better for the lesser teams but may take something away from the competition as a whole. It would further fuel the idea of a brake away tournament in years to come IMO. The teams that lose out will not be happy. Also who would get these extra places? The teams in the middle of the pecking order or the teams at the bottom as I think if it should go anywhere it should go further down.
 
If they intend to keep a lot of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams in it then the Champions from every country should automatically qualify for a second phase while the others play a first elimination phase. This will eliminate the weaker teams first but also reward each countries champions with a guaranteed few big games and big money. After all, it is the champions league.
 
Three places without playoff is great, just imagine for English, already you know who go to CL, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, but now only third can make a great battle like in Spain for Barca, Sevilla, Real and Valencia.
 
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ThomasGOAL said:
Three places without playoff is great, just imagine for English, already you know who go to CL, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, but know only third can make a great battle like in Spain for Barca, Sevilla, Real and Valencia.
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true thomas, this will make things more interesting in english spanish and italian national competition.

moreover this will increase the prestige of uefa cup :applause: :applause: :applause:

less teams, less matches, more quality matches. Well done Michel ;)

yesterday Galliani revealed that:
"a couple of months ago i had the chance to talk with Michel, and i asked him Michel do u really wanna make a champion's league with just 3 italian teams?
well, he replied in italian: Ma come, davvero pensi che il milan non riuscirà ad arrivare neanche terzo in serie a?.... Ma vaffanculo và!

translation: what? do u really think milan will not even get serie a third place? Ma vaffanculo và!

Galliani was laughing while he reported michel's answer. He said that actually he deserved that "vaffa" :lol:

i guess michel is the only one who can say vaffa to somebody without making him angry. Pure class :D
 
Three teams is still too much for me, at the most 2. Having anymore defeats the purpose of calling it the "Champions" League, considering today it is pretty popular for the winner of the Champions League to not even win their domestic division. I say keep the same number of teams, so that way champions from smaller countries can actually participate in the Champions League without having to go through 3 unnecessary preliminary rounds where there is a high risk of them getting eliminated by some undeserving 3rd/4th placed team from England, Spain, Italy and whatnot. The Uefa Cup's prestige will also be restored. Teams will take it serioulsy, and gone will be the days when Italian teams field their reserves because they know winning it means jack.
 
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