MX23RW : Tuesday, May 25 04:57:05| >> :600:1006160:1006160:

FSA encouraged by commitment from UEFA's Aleksander Ceferin

FSA encouraged by commitment from UEFA's Aleksander Ceferin
© Reuters
The leader of European football's governing body met with fans' groups on Wednesday.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin will listen to fans before making final decisions on the new-look Champions League, according to the Football Supporters' Association.

The Slovenian met with representatives from the FSA and supporters' groups connected to the Premier League's 'Big Six' clubs on Wednesday to discuss the future outlook for the European game after the birth and near-immediate collapse of the Super League last month.

He was told that UEFA should abandon its plans to grant two places in the revamped Champions League from 2024 based on historical performance rather than via domestic competition, and that fans were opposed to the idea of four additional matches due to be added to the group phase.

UEFA's executive committee announced major changes to the Champions League on April 19, but they were overshadowed by the statement confirming the launch of the Super League the previous evening.

Ceferin, who has praised the efforts of fans in forcing the collapse of the ESL, has been urged to reconsider those plans, and the FSA's chief executive Kevin Miles was "encouraged" by his commitment to engage with fans.

"We have made it absolutely crystal clear to UEFA and Aleksander Ceferin that allowing clubs to qualify for Europe based on anything other than sporting merit is completely unacceptable and fans oppose any expansion of the Champions League," Miles said.

"Any format which allows clubs to compete based on prestige or historic performance is a capitulation to the same greedy owners who tried to form their breakaway European Super League. We won't accept a bad option just because there was a worse one.

"Supporters across the continent want to see UEFA reward sporting merit, respect domestic competition and share the wealth that football has, rather than allow the greediest owners to hoard it.

"As supporters we don't pretend to have all the answers, but we were encouraged by President Ceferin's commitment to more engagement and consultation from UEFA before any final decision is reached. Fans must have their say in how football is run."

UEFA has agreed a peace deal with nine of the 12 ESL clubs, although one of the terms was their "full commitment" to its post-2024 reforms.

The three clubs who have not renounced the Super League – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus – are the subject of a disciplinary investigation.

Disciplinary inspectors must make a decision on which, if any, of UEFA's regulations the clubs violated.

Ceferin has warned that the clubs who continued to support the breakaway league would be banned from UEFA competitions.

ID:447267: cacheID:447267:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5453:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38275683325186
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd382111673442974
3Liverpool38209968422669
4Chelsea381910958362267
5Leicester CityLeicester382061268501866
6West Ham UnitedWest Ham381981162471565
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs381881268452362
8Arsenal381871355391661
9Leeds UnitedLeeds38185156254859
10Everton38178134748-159
11Aston Villa38167155546955
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle38129174662-1645
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38129173652-1645
14Crystal Palace38128184166-2544
15Southampton38127194768-2143
16Burnley38109193355-2239
RFulham38513202753-2628
RWest Bromwich AlbionWest Brom38511223576-4126
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3872292063-4323

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!