Real Madrid, Juventus among Europe's top clubs vouching for Champions League revamp

According to reports in Europe, top European clubs like Real Madrid and Juventus want to bring about changes in the Champions League in the next three months. A new working group was set up by the European Club Association to analyse and present new proposals in terms of Champions League formats. There have been demands from various quarters to introduce certain changes in the format of the European Competition. Clubs like Real Madrid and Juventus have been very keen on new reforms in the competition.

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Two proposals have been put forward to the European Club Association

One of the proposals that has emerged includes the idea of having 32 teams vying for the Champions League title. Of these, each team will play against 10 other teams. Teams that qualify for the Round of 16 will automatically qualify for the Champions League next season.

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Teams like Leicester City have opposed the reforms

The second proposal involves having six groups of six teams, which may vary up to eight teams per group as well. However, the European Club Association are most likely to opt for the first option of having 32 teams in the competition. The European Club Association are also discussing the idea of categorising clubs in four pots. First pot might include the elite teams, the second pot would include clubs such as Ajax, the third pot will have the likes of Celtic and Rangers, while smaller Eastern European countries would be in pot four. The elite teams would have a fixed spot in the competition every year, irrespective of their position in the domestic league. However, teams like Leicester City have opposed the reforms as the new format would abandon the Champions League qualification process.

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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has opposed reforms to the Champions League

However, there has been some opposition to the reforms as well. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard opposed the Champions League reforms and he claimed that it will lead to player burnout. Lampard had earlier told a meeting of European club leaders that an increase in group games would be a serious mistake and that the current status quo should be maintained. Lampard is managing Chelsea in the Champions League for the first time this season and does not believe it is feasible to squeeze more fixtures into an already congested calendar.

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