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The clubs, including Glasgow Rangers, Valencia and Liverpool, are representatives of UEFA’s club panel which was convened for the first time in February. The results of today’s consultation will be conveyed to UEFA’s executive committee, which will discuss the findings in December.
While the Champions League is regarded as a commercial success, with over £400million ($561.16m) distributed to the participating clubs and their federations, there are numerous concerns about the competition’s structure and that of the UEFA Cup. For Europe’s top clubs from the five main markets: England, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, there are worries about fixture congestion and public apathy.
And those clubs from Europe’s secondary markets are concerned that the lack of income their domestic markets can generate means that they are unable to compete for players with the clubs from the primary markets. This means that the top clubs from Scotland, Holland, Belgium and Portugal often find themselves competing in the UEFA Cup, where, unlike the Champions League, there is not a guaranteed minimum number of matches.
One of UEFA’s main concerns with the current structure is the imbalance that can occur in the later stages of a competition. This season’s Champions League quarter-finals, for example, featured three teams from both England and Spain, one from Germany and one from Turkey, with no clubs from either Italy or France. Likewise the UEFA Cup, which at one point featured seven German clubs.
Possible solutions include the abolition of the second group stage of the Champions League and the introduction of group stages to the UEFA Cup. None of the changes will be implemented until the start of the 2003/2004 season when all existing broadcast and sponsorship contracts expire.
The other five clubs attending are Brondby, Borrussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Olympique Lyonnais and PSV Eindhoven.