Champions League - Save the Champions League

Eurosport - Wed, 10 Dec 18:57:00 2008

We at eurosport.yahoo.com are looking for ways to improve Europe's premier cup competition.

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As Arsenal, Manchester United and Celtic prepare to take to the field for their final Champions League group matches, there could hardly be less at stake.

The two English clubs, like Liverpool on Tuesday night, are already through with just their respective group top spots to play for. Celtic, on the other hand, are already dead and buried, with not even a UEFA Cup place to vie for, and boss Gordon Strachan has admitted he will use the match against Villarreal to aid the recovery of players who have been out injured.

Broadcasters made a decent fist of trying to present Chelsea's match against Cluj as genuinely perilous, but did anyone really think that the Blues would fail to win AND that Bordeaux would beat Roma?

After several years of the same format, and with the current domination by the same four English sides, things could do with a shake-up, and we want your ideas.

You can either put your suggestions on a postcard addressed to UEFA, or post them in the handy comments box provided below and we'll pass them on to Michel Platini next time we see him. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1 - More national champions

The respectable showings of CFR Cluj and Anorthosis Famagusta this season have proved that teams with little or no European pedigree deserve their place as much as any other side. The fact that neither Croatia nor Czech Republic - whose national sides are in the top-10 of FIFA's rankings - get an automatic place for their domestic champions is a travesty.

2 - Only group winners go through

There is a logic to the 'two qualifiers per group' structure, though it's mainly fiscal. Teams already through almost always field a weakened side for the final group match, and seedings for the second-round draw generally throw up a series of one-sided knockout ties. With only one team progressing from every group, there would be a stronger element of jeopardy in the group stage and the competition would move straight on to the more exciting quarter-finals.

3 - Open draw for groups

When Liverpool had to beg and steal (with emphasis on the stealing) their way into the competition the year after winning it, much was made of the fact they would not enjoy 'country protection'. Well, whoop-de-doo. There may be merit in keeping teams from the same countries apart, but the main upshot is that the group stage draw is already half-finished before a single scrap of paper is unraveled by a bumbling ex-pro. Chelsea facing Liverpool again may not be everyone's ideal tie, but no one can doubt that that has become a great European rivalry, far removed from their domestic bouts. And traveling fans save a packet!

4 - No UEFA Cup spot for lucky losers

Ever since Arsenal and Galatasary dropped in at the third round stage and went on to contest the 2000 final, the UEFA Cup has been in sharp decline. Soon after, the absurd group stage comprising five-team groups, with three qualifiers from each, was introduced in order to better accommodate the losers from another competition. If more national champions were awarded automatic Champions League places (see point one) then there would be bigger teams in the UEFA Cup to start with. And we would be spared the new UEFA Europa League beginning next season.

5 - Host nation's rendition of Champions League theme

The tri-lingual re-working of Handel's 'Zadok the Priest' has book-ended so many ad breaks over the years that it now brings on a Pavlovian compulsion to drink a beer, send a text message or use your credit card as much as it whets the appetite for top-class football. What better way to rekindle the public's love than to hear a German Oompah band blast out their own rendition pre-kick off at the Allianz Arena, The Charlatans giving it the baggy treatment on the Old Trafford pitch or visitors to Roma hearing the theme belted out by, er, opera singers?

Follow LIVE coverage of all tonight's Champions League matches - including Manchester United v Aalborg, Porto v Arsenal and Celtic v Villarreal - at eurosport.yahoo.com from 19:30 UK time!

Tony Mabert / Eurosport

Comment 28 - 47 of 47

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  1. (46): So you're telling me that you would rather­ see Champions of Macedonia against Champions of Andorra­ than having the opportunity to watch Inter v Barcelona­ or Liverpool v Real Madrid? Face it, these clubs are­ THE BEST in Europe and that is what counts. That's­ what the CL is about. Pipping the best of Europe­ against each other. Not letting Cluj v Panathinaikos­ play it out for glory. I admit the name is a bit­ misleading but I would definitely pay to watch­ Chelsea, Man.Utd, Inter, Liverpool, Bayern, Real,­ Barcelona slug it out rather than some teams who came­ in first of a league we hardly ever heard of. Be­ realistic, these clubs are the best at this moment and­ if there are unseen things around europe and that other­ league's are good, then why do the winners of those­ league's lose (badly) to second string sides of­ true top clubs in the qualification? Unless it is a­ proven high quality league, then they do not deserve­ the CL. Period. NO DISRESPECT TO ANYONE

    From etu, on Thu 11 Dec 1:18AM

  2. The Champions League, should be exactly that for the­ CHAMPIONS of the European domestic leagues....no­ parachuting into other tournaments.....this is the­ showpiece tournament and as such should not be­ cheapened by allowing teams who have finished­ FOURTH!!!!!!!!! in their league to enter it.
    UEFA can­ call the other competitions anything they like....but­ lets have one true League of Champions.

    From tonto_walks, on Wed 10 Dec 9:21PM

  3. The champions league should be changed to a proper­ knockout and do away with the group stages.Also the­ uefa should be scrapped and the first three teams­ should be allowed to enter the Champions League.Finally­ we need video evidence brought in so as to stop any and­ all bad decisons made by the referee's and­ linesmen.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    From stewartm, on Wed 10 Dec 8:31PM

  4. In 2005-2006 Liverpool where defending champions of­ Europe, if they hadn't been allowed to defend their­ title it would have taken the legitimacy away from that­ seasons winners claims of being champions of all of­ Europe. If the FA had had the balls to make the­ decision to allow Liverpool in ahead of the mighty­ European power house Everton, like the Spanish FA did­ when they allowed European Cup winners but fifth place­ in the primera league Real Madrid into the cup, then­ Liverpool wouldn't have had to "steal"­ their way in.

    From eamonn o, on Wed 10 Dec 7:26PM

  5. I think that the CL is just a media money-making­ machine for the rich elite clubs in Europe. It needs to­ change. Therefore,

    Each Member Association is allowed­ 1 (and only 1) entrant to the CL. There are no­ "qualifiers" - all countries are equal - from­ England down to Andorra.
    The holders will of course,­ qualify also. Once you are out, you are out and there­ are NO teams dropping to the Europa League. It is also­ knockout from the start with 2 legs per match - and I­ would change the name to the European Cup­ (again).

    Positions 2-5 are for the Europa League -­ which can be how it is now. As a fan of a team in this­ tournament, I can say that the UEFA Cup format is now­ great.

    Reinstate the Cup Winners Cup as there was­ nothing wrong with it and 1 team per member association­ should be allowed entrance. Again, the holders qualify­ automatically as well. Therefore only 1 cup tournament­ per country will have a European place.

    Scrap the­ Intertoto and entrance via a fairplay lottery. Fair­ play should be the aim of all teams, there should be no­ reward for it. This is the spirit of our game!

    There­ was nothing wrong with the previous format - but it­ cannot be called the "Champions League" , if­ teams which finish 4th are in it. It makes a mockery of­ it.

    So Mr Platini - the motto is if it isnt broken,­ dont fix it and all countries are equal.

    From SIMON, on Wed 10 Dec 7:14PM

  6. The basics of the current Champions League is good, but­ it's getting more of a fight for money then a fight­ for glory so we should redivide the league spots and­ only the champions should be allowed direct passage to­ the groups the rest of the teams should play knockout­ rounds so that only the best would qualify.

    From Zoltan, on Wed 10 Dec 7:05PM

  7. Andy post 25
    Great idea!!! That would be perfect!!!

    From Rafal, on Wed 10 Dec 6:59PM

  8. Yes t_terziev. I think Platini should select the last­ four teams of English PL, La Liga, Italia to compete­ with the champions of the other countries so that these­ lesser teams can test the Cup.Maybe then restling or­ Latin American Champions League will be my next option­ on my screen.hahahahahaha

    From Michael, on Wed 10 Dec 6:59PM

  9. ONLY champions of the nations should be allowed in the­ competition plus the previous years winner.But this­ won,t happen as the greedy clubs etc.still make money­ fron the meaningless fixtures that litter the closing­ of the group stages.

    From BARRY, on Wed 10 Dec 6:56PM

  10. There will always be matches with no significance, and­ no one is to blame teams, that have already done enough­ to prove they are the best in the group to give chances­ to the subs to prove themselves on the big screen. And­ let's face it: YES, this is the money league, it is­ meant for the best teams in Europe, who spend big to­ entertain almost 100% of the football fans, and it is a­ way for them to win some of that money back!­

    Therefore, a stupid article written by some bored­ chap who did not quite enjoy last night's games.­ Mr. Journalist, let us then, take all the big guns and­ losers from each Nat.Championship separately and play­ them at random, how bout that!?!?!

    From Todor T, on Wed 10 Dec 6:51PM

  11. Scrap the Champions League!! Bring back the European­ Cup as it was before.

    Go on UEFA be brave let's­ see the best in Europe as it used to be.

    The Champions­ League is a joke.

    From Veteran, on Wed 10 Dec 6:48PM

  12. Judging by the comments I think everyone agrees that­ Money and TV moguls are spoiling this once great­ competition that sees similar teams year after year­ competing for the trophy. European Champions is­ currently by virtue of the finances available to the­ competing clubs. The Winner of the top two leagues­ only in each respective european country should enter­ the competition on a knockout basis with two legs as­ before and loser gets nothing but the satisfaction of­ competing against the very best. Football wins, Fans­ win and players win by virtue of the fact that they­ know they have competed against football teams not­ conjured champions.

    From mitchroyalnavy, on Wed 10 Dec 6:47PM

  13. If Platini and Blatter want to reshape the Champions­ League, then they should show example in the World Cup­ such that more African Countries should have the same­ opportunities and places as European and Latin Maerican­ countries.

    From Michael, on Wed 10 Dec 6:38PM

  14. Forget the league and bring back the 2 legged knockout­ from the start to finish !!

    From Eagle3777, on Wed 10 Dec 6:33PM

  15. I LIKE CURRENT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. BUT I RECOMMEND A­ KNOCKOUT MATCH AT THE BEGINNING TO ELIMINATE LESS­ STRONG TEAMS. ALSO, ONE SUBJECT IS REALLY BOTHERING ME.­ ENGLISH TEAMS ARE PLAYING WITH 1-3 ENGLISH PLAYERS AND­ ITS NEARLY THE SAME FOR SPANISH AND ITALIAN TEAMS. IN­ MY OPINION %50 OF THE SQUAD MUST BE NATIVE.

    From OZGUR E, on Wed 10 Dec 6:30PM

  16. make it back league winners only!!! the rest can play­ in another european tournament called the runners up­ league!! its not the champions league for nothing.

    From andrew07023, on Wed 10 Dec 6:28PM

  17. If Mr. Blatter is listening, dont change the group­ stage, all you have to do is give more prize money to­ clubs like Shaktar, and Cluj for coming so far and­ doing well.

    From bakhtiar_1996, on Wed 10 Dec 6:21PM

  18. I think the champions league is great as it is, but a­ few changes,
    Group stages should hold Champions of one­ country each, and then random countries
    For­ Example:
    GROUP A GROUP B ­ GROUP C GROUP D
    Manchester­ United Internazionale Bayern­ Munich Lyon
    Bate Zenit ­ Villareal ­ PSV
    Villareal Sporting ­ Panathanaikos Shaktar
    Anorthosis ­ Bremen Bordeaux ­ Roma
    GROUP E Group F ­ GROUP G GROUP H
    Celtic ­ Real Madrid Fenerbache ­ FC CLuj
    Barcelona Sporting Lisbon ­ Liverpool Arsenal
    Chelsea ­ Juventus Dynamo Kiev ­ Bate
    Aalborg Marseille ­ Athletico Porto

    From bakhtiar_1996, on Wed 10 Dec 6:19PM

  19. Football is losing it`s soul.the big teams are merely­ buying the best players at astronomical costa and thus­ living beyond their means.Even, when they win there is­ no thrill as they have been orchestrated merely by­ money.
    Teams like Ajax Amsterdam and Steura Bucarest­ who used to produce local talents is what makes the­ game interesting.

    Look at AC Milan, after having­ dominated Europe they no longer go on splashing huge­ amounts of money just to buy the best players; instead­ like Lyon they are becoming a selling­ club.

    Furthermore when players play solely for money­ it`s not surprising that they play without enthusiam­ and lack inspiration.

    Like everything else lately,­ player wages and transfers have been hugely­ inflated.
    This has to stop. Liverpool, Manchester­ United, Arsenal, bayern munich, Benfica, juventus,­ e.t.c have to produce their own local stars and see­ them shine.That`s when the supporters will be really­ happy and the game will regain it`s lost soul.

    People­ rally behing the Fowlers,owens,Gerrard, scholes,Keane,­ Teddy­ sheringham,Beckham,Hoddle,Waddle,Gasgoingne,Adams,­ e.t.c e.t.c

    To WIN WITHOUT PERIL IS TO TRIUMPH WITHOUT­ GLORY(I.E MECHANISTIC & BORING!!!)

    From john, on Wed 10 Dec 6:04PM

  20. ats that is a good idea. It will get more exciting I­ guess.

    From Nathan, on Wed 10 Dec 6:04PM
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