At the end of its Executive Committee in Vienna, the European body has apparently opted for a compromise to erase the reluctance: the "Swiss system", a mini-championship inspired by chess tournaments, will apply well during the first phase instead of the current group stage, but with eight days, against ten initially imagined and six today.

The expansion of the European queen event suits some clubs by allocating four additional qualifying tickets: two additional places allocated to the two best European nations over the previous season, a sort of catch-up net for the big names, and a third qualified club for the fifth nation in the UEFA index, currently France.

This reform, the most radical for twenty years, was validated a year after the storm of the Super League, an ephemeral private competition project launched by several major rebellious clubs, including Real Madrid and Liverpool, who will face each other on May 28. in the Champions League final.

"We are convinced that the formula chosen is harmonious, that it will improve the balance of competitions and ensure solid revenues which can be redistributed (...), while increasing the attractiveness and popularity of our interclub competitions", welcomed UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin, quoted in a press release.

Concessions

By extending the first phase, the objective is to satisfy both the broadcasters, with 225 matches in total instead of 125 today, the clubs, assured of higher ticketing income - even in the event of early elimination --, and viewers looking for prestigious posters.

Two subjects raised questions, in European football with an already saturated calendar and precarious economic balances.

First the number of mini-championship days, initially set at ten but finally reduced to eight, then the possible allocation of two of the four additional tickets for the benefit of the UEFA coefficient of each non-qualified club, a proposal which favored large stables by erasing the sporting hazard.

The continental body accepted a concession on the two points, by awarding two additional tickets via the classification of the championships concerned, and not directly to the best clubs.

The first eight teams at the end of the first phase of the mini-championship will qualify for the round of 16, while the teams which will be classified from 9th to 24th place will go through play-offs in the home and away format.

New windfall

UEFA has also announced that apart from the final, all matches will continue to be played in the middle of the week, a confirmation expected by the national leagues which usually play at weekends.

Finally, Aleksander Ceferin's proposal to bring together the semi-finals and final in the same city and on a dry match, in the form of a "Final 4", has apparently been abandoned, preserving the current two-way semi-final format that have been so spectacular this season.

The Europa League and the Europa League Conference are also affected by this reform, with a format modeled on that of the new Champions League.

If some voices have been raised to criticize the reform, accusing UEFA of wanting to modify a proven formula, the strong increase in revenue expected from 2024 may have something to convince the undecided.

At the start of 2022, TV rights for European club competitions were awarded for five billion euros annually over the period 2024-2027, a jump of more than 50% compared to TV rights for 2018-2019.

"No discussion has yet taken place" about the financial distribution of this new windfall, which will take place in a second time, nevertheless specified Tuesday at a press conference Giorgio Marchetti, deputy general secretary of UEFA.

© 2022 AFP