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Champions League may have 64 clubs & Europa League scrapped
European football's governing body Uefa is considering ditching the Europa League in favour of extending the Champions League from 32 to 64 teams.
"We're discussing it. We will make a decision in 2014. Nothing is decided yet," Uefa president Michel Platini told French newspaper Ouest-France.
It means seven English clubs and five Scottish teams could enter at a qualifying round stage.
Uefa is looking at changing the format of European competitions from 2015.
"There is an ongoing debate to determine what form the European competitions will have between 2015 and 2018," added Platini.
Euro prize money (2011-12)
- Champions League: Chelsea earned £49m for winning the competition. Man Utd pocketed £28m despite being knocked out in the group stages.
- Europa League: Winners Atletico Madrid received £8.5m. Fulham, knocked out of the group stages, won £2.2m.
- Uefa: Europe's governing body earns about £1bn from the Champions League and brings in £225m from the Europa League.
An extension of the group stages to a 64-team format could see seven English clubs qualify for the competition rather than the current four, and increase the number of Scottish teams participating from two to five.
The Europa League has been criticised by some since it replaced the Uefa Cup in 2009 and exists in the shadow of the more lucrative Champions League.
Last week, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said the Europa League was more difficult to negotiate than the Champions League because of its "heavier schedule" and Thursday night kick-offs.
Despite that, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas - who won the competition with Porto in 2011 - has said he could not understand why the tournament was viewed as a punishment in England.
The Champions League is far more financially beneficial, for Uefa and the clubs concerned, than Europe's second-tier tournament.
Europe's governing body earned about £800m more from the Champions League than the Europa League last season, while Chelsea made £49m by winning the Champions League in 2012.
Manchester United, who were knocked out in the Champions League group stages last year, received £28m. By comparison, last season's Europa League winners, Atletico Madrid, earned £8.5m in prize money and Fulham, knocked out of the group stages, won £2.2m.
UK clubs in Europe 2012-13
Champions League: Arsenal, Celtic, Chelsea, Linfield, Man City, Man Utd, Motherwell, The New Saints
Europa League: Bangor City, Cefn Druids, Cliftonville, Crusaders, Dundee Utd, Hearts, Liverpool, Llanelli, Newcastle, Portadown, St Johnstone, Tottenham
It has been reported that Europe's richest clubs will form a breakaway European league if the Champions League is not expanded.
Barcelona president Sandro Rosell said earlier this month that he would like to cut the number of teams competing in the top tier of domestic leagues and increase the number of clubs in the Champions League.
But Platini, a former France international, said he was not worried by talk of a tournament to rival the Champions League being set up.
"It's a question that is regularly brought up," he said.
"I can't see how it could work outside the Uefa framework. Who will referee them? In what stadiums will they play?"
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Comment number 598.
billy28th November 2012 - 15:32
sounds like a terrible idea , leave the CL as it is. Instead just change the UEFA cup back to a knockout tournament and get rid of its league stage.
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Comment number 595.
Royal Gooner28th November 2012 - 15:28
Why not? I'd know I'd like to see smaller clubs like Linfield or The New Saints taking on big clubs like Arsenal and Barcelona
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Comment number 578.
Paul28th November 2012 - 15:15
The main problem from half the posters is the name, is that really your biggest problem with it?
The make up isn't champions, but it is the elite competition that is key.
How to make the Europa League more attractive? Get teams to play their first team.
How to you do that? More prize money, make the boards demand victory
For the long term you have to do well in competitions that earn you money
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Comment number 560.
Goatbot28th November 2012 - 14:56
It will result in more fixtures and physical burn out for players. It would be much better to make the Champions League Champions only. Using England as an example: League Cup, FA Cup, PL and a playoff winners would generate more income and increase interest throughout ie, Big teams would actually bother with the League cup for once and so there would be more worldwide interest.
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Comment number 558.
Roy Kift28th November 2012 - 14:53
A terrible idea since it will subsequently be used to argue for European Leagues to replace national leagues and make it impossible for all but the wealthiest of supporters to follow their teams. This is simply looking at the subject in terms of money and has nothing to do with the supporters or even the players who will be subject to even more stress than they are now.
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Comments 5 of 11