The Premier League’s so-called “big five” clubs have admitted meeting to debate changes to the Champions League, amid febrile discussion across Europe about the future of the competition and proposals that could include guaranteed entry for the biggest teams.
While moving to deny reports that a breakaway European Super League or replacement for the Champions League was discussed, sources at Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal admitted debating the future of the format.
The admission is another indicator of the wide-ranging changes being discussed at all levels of the game in Europe as clubs jockey for position ahead of an agreement on the format for the next three-year TV contract cycle from 2018 and maximise revenues.
One idea favoured by some European clubs would see a two-tier system introduced that would guarantee entry to some of the biggest names in football, while still allowing others to qualify. But despite the fact Manchester United and Liverpool have missed out in recent years, and Chelsea look set to do so this season, they insist they recognise the race for the Champions League is intrinsic to the Premier League’s appeal.
Some of those that qualify every season due to the lack of competitiveness of their domestic leagues, such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona, would also like to see more attractive matches against bigger-name clubs in the group stages.
Hotel summit
After being photographed leaving a London hotel summit called by representatives of US billionaire Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins owner who developed the pre-season International Champions Cup, they were forced to deny plans for a breakaway.
Insiders from each club insisted that they met relatively regularly, often with Tottenham Hotspur also present, and that the majority of the discussion revolved around the ICC. Arsenal was the only club to confirm its position in public, but sources at the other four clubs all took a similar line.
“We are strongly opposed to any breakaway. Not Arsenal, nor any clubs at the meeting, are seeking changes to the Premier League and European landscape and no conversations surrounding displacing the Premier League or starting a European Super League took place,” said an Arsenal spokesman.
“Discussions were primarily around the ICC and formats of European competitions that would complement the existing Premier League.”
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Those seen leaving the meeting were
Ed Woodward
, the executive vice-chairman at Old Trafford, the Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, Arsenal chief executive
Ivan Gazidis
, City chief executive Ferran Soriano and Liverpool chief executive
Ian Ayre
.
Relevant Sports, the sports marketing company formed by Ross that is behind the pre-season ICC, is believed to be keen to play a part in any plans to expand the Champions League and win business from Uefa’s current partner Team. It declined to comment on Wednesday.
Given that all of the five teams that met have overseas owners and are endlessly determined to maximise global revenues, there is a sense in which they may be more open than in the past to revolutionary thinking.
Uefa has said it is open to proposals about the future of the competition, amid disquiet from clubs outside England about the spending power of Premier League clubs in the wake of their €10.7 billion TV deal, but is expected to strongly resist any move to propose qualification should be on anything other than merit.
Clubs in Scotland, Holland, Belgium and Portugal also recently held joint talks about the potential impact of the ongoing negotiations over the future of the Champions League.
A spokesman for the European Club Association said “there’s a lot of discussion around the future of European competitions at the moment” but no final decision is expected before autumn this year.” Guardian Service
