UEFA discuss the introduction of a third European competition in big shakeup

Posted Friday, August 31, 2018 by givemesport.com

The dominance of the Champions League in European football these days can't really be overstated - it's firmly the place to be.

That's certainly not to everyone's tastes, especially as the competition has become bloated with teams from the 'biggest' leagues in the place of national champions.

Celtic won everything they could win in Scotland last season but were made to go through multiple stages of qualifying for a place - one they ultimately failed to get - while Internazionale sewed up theirs by scraping fourth place in Serie A on the final day of last season.

It's no wonder then that some teams in Europe are questioning the 'Champions' aspect of the tournament as they're forced into the Europa League.

The Europa League is a fine tournament but few of the elite clubs in Europe take it seriously - it remains to be seen, for instance, if Chelsea will give it all they've got this year.

It's even been mentioned, in England in particular, whether it's better to not qualify for it and using the extra rest to your advantage in the league - hardly an attitude befitting a European tournament.

UEFA seem to have admitted that things aren't quite going to plan, however, as they're now discussing the introduction of a third club competition.

According to Sport Bild in Germany, the European governing body would effectively retain the Champions League as it is, while cutting down the Europa League from 48 teams to 32.

Underneath that would come an as of yet unnamed tournament, again of 32 teams, that is seen as a way of giving smaller teams something to fight for while increasing the quality of the Europa League.

This wouldn't be the first time UEFA had three tournaments on the go, of course - the Cup Winners' Cup ran from 1960 to 1999 alongside the European Cup and UEFA Cup before it was abolished.

Sport Bild also mentions that the new competition may be one made with the aim of streaming it on various internet platforms.

The new cycle for UEFA starts in 2021, so any changes would have to wait a few years to come into effect,

If they do go down this route, European football will influence domestic competitions just a little bit more - and that likely won't be to everyone's tastes.