The European league association European Leagues, in which the German Football League (DFL) is also organized, was dissatisfied with several details of the reform decided in April 2021. “European competitions have a huge impact on domestic league competitions”, said Claus Thomsen, chairman of the European Leagues, at a press conference after the organization’s general assembly in Istanbul on Friday (04/29/2022). Especially with a view to qualifying, Thomsen said: “We can’t compromise on that.”
There are essentially two points of contention:
- Access to the Champions League: 36 instead of 32 teams should play. Of the four additional clubs, two should be able to qualify on the basis of historical results over the past five years – if they didn’t make it through their domestic league, according to the reform plan.
- Size of the competition: 100 additional games were determined at the decision in April 2021. In the preliminary round there should be ten instead of six matchdays, and another knockout round should be added.
Point of contention 1: The coefficient as a safety net for big clubs
The current plan: If Borussia Dortmund is only fifth in the Bundesliga, for example, BVB should still play in the Champions League because the club is well placed in the five-year coefficient – a rescue net for big clubs. What parts of the powerful club association and the big clubs support, the European Leagues reject.
The principle would ‘represent an unjustified second chance for some big clubs’said the league association. “Sporting merit in the domestic leagues must be the only way to enter European competitions.” The problem for the leagues: Part of the interest from fans is based on who qualifies for European competition in leagues like the Bundesliga. If the national leagues are no longer the sole basis for qualification, they will be devalued – and their commercialization potentially more difficult. Another concern: with further reforms in the future, expanding this access to the Champions League might be easier to enforce.
Most recently, the ECA leadership publicly backed the principle. At the end of March, ECA board member Aki Riihilahti (HJK Helsinki) praised the plan. “The Big Picture” of the future mode is good. However, according to information from the sports show, there is no unanimity in the ECA on the subject of coefficients.