The European Club Association will discuss major changes to the Champions League in a meeting with UEFA, where one of the main topics will be potential promotion and relegation.
The ECA, which represents all of the major clubs on the continent, began talks with UEFA last week regarding the structure of continental competitions - and they believe it is ‘logical’ to introduce promotion and relegation.
Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of the ECA, stated that promotion and relegation were ‘natural’ in leagues across Europe and it ‘might be logical internationally’.
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Also the chairman of Italian champions Juventus, Agnelli added that discussions between the ECA and Europe’s governing body could take up to 18 months - and no changes would occur until 2024 at the earliest, as the international match structure is mapped out for the next five years.
Critics will likely point to the fact that UEFA only recently ruled out the prospect of a European Super League as these potential changes to the format of the Champions League seem eerily similar in their set-up.
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Another suggestion from the ECA is for the major leagues in Europe to coordinate their fixtures alongside each other so as to not compete for viewers, although that is again likely to infuriate the ‘smaller’ clubs as it is likely they would not benefit from this changes.
Further ideas that were put forward include fewer but longer international breaks throughout the season, aligning continental competitions like the European Championship and Copa America to ease a club’s planning and limiting the amount of domestic games throughout a single season.
Discussions around potentially moving Champions League matches were also mentioned, while Agnelli also refused to rule out a change in the Champions League group format that would see four groups of eight participate - allowing for more matches for those involved.
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