Unacceptable Consequences for the National Leagues in Europe
German league rejects Champions League reform
International Soccer News: Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs Reject Current Reform proposals for International Club Competitions.
The initial proposal from the European Club Association (ECA) president Andrea Agnelli promoted the idea of a single, three-tiered European competition with internal promotion and relegation. The fear is that this reform would effectively make it much more difficult for smaller clubs to advance in the European competition circuit.
Seen by some as a push for international promotion-relegation in Europe, there are fans of the reforms proposed. ECA’s Agnelli, who also runs Juventus, wants to modernize competitions starting from 2024.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Agnelli wrote to ECA members to say “more European football is good for the game … for fans, for society, for cultural, sporting and financial development.”
According to AP, “the financial power of Juventus has obliterated the competitiveness of the Italian title race, with Agnelli’s team last weekend winning a record-extending eighth straight Serie A with five games remaining. It points to why Agnelli would want Juventus to play more often against continental rivals, advocating “European matches with higher sporting quality and a more competitive environment at all levels.”
Among principles which Agnelli believes are “fundamental to the future of European football,” he advocates a “pyramidal Pan European League System with continuity and opportunity to grow from within” by adopting an “enhancement of mobility and dynamism across the system through carefully applied promotion and relegation.”
The Bundesliga released a statement today:
The ordinary assembly of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga as
“The presently discussed concept of the European Club Association would have unacceptable consequences for the national leagues in Europe and should therefore not be implemented in this form. We must not allow, that the traditional national leagues are damaged in their attractiveness for millions of people across the continent“, DFL CEO Christian Seifert said following today’s DFL ordinary assembly.
“We are convinced that UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin correctly assesses the value of the national leagues as the heart chamber of European professional football and will continue to moderate further proceedings in a foresightful manner.
The French Football Federation (FFF) and French Football League (LFP) also is not pleased with the proposals and has stated that they want to submit an alternative to UEFA. The majority of French clubs also voted against the ECA proposed reforms.
“In all discussions, two points are of crucial importance: the number of games in the football calendar and, above all, access to international competitions,” said Seifert. “Changes to these must not jeopardize the relevance and future of the national leagues in Europe. This would sustainably damage the whole of European football – and that can never be in the interest of the UEFA.“
The reforms were initially proposed by the ECA. 13 DFL clubs, including Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, are members of the ECA.
