Champions League 09/10:

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UEFA flags up new Champions plan
POSTED: 8:10 a.m. EDT, March 29, 2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- Domestic cup winners across Europe could qualify for the Champions League as part of a proposed shake-up of the competition, a senior UEFA official said on Thursday.

Under proposals being discussed by European soccer's governing body in June, the winners of each country's main knock-out competition could be included in a new playoff system at the end of the season which will determine the final Champions League places. Awarding the cup winner one of their country's automatic positions is also being tabled, but is likely to be seen as a step too far at this stage. At present cup winners qualify for the UEFA Cup.

"Giving the cup winners one of these spots is something which we will discuss. We want to revitalize the cup competitions in each country which have suffered in recent years," William Gaillard, special advisor to UEFA president Michel Platini told Reuters. "But to be honest if the same team that finishes first, second or third ends up winning the cup, the the place would go to the next team in the league.

"If the cup winner goes to the Champions League, then that third or fourth-placed team goes to the UEFA Cup. There has to be some reality."

The popularity of the cup in many countries has plummeted in recent years as leagues with lucrative Champions league spots on offer continue to grow in importance. Some clubs regularly now field weaker line-ups in cup games for the sake of their league position.

Increase chances
Platini proposed a new playoff format earlier this month as part of his plan to reduce the numbers of berths for the bigger countries and increase the chances of other clubs across Europe to qualify for the elite competition.

The former French international -- elected president at the end of January -- said he would like to see the likes of England, Spain and Italy with only three clubs in the money-spinning competition. Currently these three leagues have up to four places. Among his ideas is that the fourth-placed teams in the bigger leagues could face each other in end of season playoffs and so free up places for smaller leagues to take up.

Another formula was for the high profile teams from England, Spain and Italy to play-off against teams from the smaller nations, thus giving them the chance of an upset. However, these play-off places may now go to the cup winners instead.

According to sources within UEFA, the new idea regarding the cup winners - to be discussed by UEFA's new strategic committee during its first meeting in June - has support within all sectors of the game, including some of the more powerful clubs.

"The likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Rangers and others have already indicated their support," one UEFA source said. Many associations are expected to back the plan in a bid to resurrect dwindling interest in their domestic cups. Smaller nations and lesser-known clubs will view this an opportunity to realize what otherwise may have remained a dream in reality.

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Op donderdag 29 maart 2007 14:26 schreef De_Ananas het volgende:
Kan er geen splintergroepering komen ofzo?

Iemadn een samenvatting btw?