Juventus President Andrea Agnelli defends changes to the Champions League – “it’s in everyone’s interest”.
A restructuring of the competition has been announced, which will see the top-four teams from the top-four nations gain automatic entry to the Group Stage.
“In everyone’s interest, an agreement has been reached between the clubs and UEFA that brings positive growth, while leaving open ideas for the future,” Agnelli told shareholders and journalists.
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli defends changes to the Champions League – “it’s in everyone’s interest”.
A restructuring of the competition has been announced, which will see the top-four teams from the top-four nations gain automatic entry to the Group Stage.
“In everyone’s interest, an agreement has been reached between the clubs and UEFA that brings positive growth, while leaving open ideas for the future,” Agnelli told shareholders and journalists.
“The world has 2 billion sports fans, of which 1.6 billion are football fans. The two main [annual] events are the Champions League final and the Super Bowl, with the Champions League recently passing the Super Bowl.
“Today the Champions League brings in €2.4bn, while NFL brings in twice that with an event which attracts a smaller audience and for which there's a global interest one-tenth that of football.
“So the size of the Champions League is still a manifestation of how the rights are structured, given that 75 per cent comes from Europe.
“Playing at 20.45 means we’re playing when they’re sleeping in Asia and at work in America.
“So we decided to play in two time slots and prioritise the four best nations in the UEFA rankings. There have been changes, but other reflections are possible.
“It’s a deal which gives the advantage to the clubs, and now we can define it with our UEFA partners. The dialogue with UEFA President [Aleksander] Čeferin is open.
“The goal is to make the Champions League the biggest competition in the world, both in terms of the audience and the relatively unpredictable nature of the outcome.
“Another objective is to make sure that children play more football, we need to start from the idea of getting children on the ball which has declined in Italy in recent years.
“On my part, there have been several ideas for the development of football: sporting facilities, second teams, the reform of the Leagues. I’m pleased to read interviews with colleagues who put focus on these issues.
“The dialogue between clubs must increase to help football. We can’t be afraid to change for the good of football.”