UEFA C.L- Platini's PLAN

[henry#14]

I like this idea. And some of his other ideas. Champions League should live up to it's name. As in for Champions.

 

[treble41]

But it's important for countries like Scotland and Sweden to have clubs in it. Besides, you can't complain about the knockout stage.

 

[Socrates]

I don't see how this would cause less interest in the competition. The more variety, the better. Not the same bull**** over and over again. The 1/16 stage looks the same every single year. The UCL as it is now, is too predictable.

Anyone with half a brain knows that to sell a product, you need to advertise it. What's a better way to get the people in small country to watch the competition than by having their team play in it?

So by adding weaker teams you think the CL would be more unpredictable?

 

[Jaouadinho]

if u have just the champions of europe in the champions league, no one will watch the matches except for the semi finals and final.

who wants to see stuea bucharest vs dynamo zagreb ( no offense by the way).

 

[dipset]

thas tru having teams from the smaller countries will only get viewers from those countries and i bet all the small teams wont even make it into the quarters and the ppl around the world like in Africa, America, Mid East, Asia will lost lots of interest b/c they wouldnt know who these clubs are

 

[Mandieta6]

Doesn't the fact that teams like Valencia, Liverpool, Arsenal, etc.. all the teams which would probably be affected by this, be forced out, make them more competitive in the League? Making football in general better? Sure, the champion's would be worse for a while, but there are seedings and preliminaries, so the weak teams aren't going to get far anyways, and if they do, than they clearly deserve it. Besides, with time, they'll all improve, every team in Europe would now have a chance to get in, so, like I said, football generally would improve, despite a slump during the first few years.

Also, doesn't anyone find the last stages of the finals a tad boring now? It's always the same teams, a bunch of English, Italian, German, Spanish, occasional French and Dutch teams all being matched up together. For the last couple of years, I think most teams in the quarters have already faced each other, and you can be sure that next year 6 out of the 8 teams remaining would be back in the quarters. It takes away from the competition because everyone knows everyone's tactics and players, everything is quite predictable, which is why no one is expecting Roma and Valencia to get to the semi's. I'm all for adding diversity to the competition and seeing minnows get to where teams like Barcelona and Chelsea are at.

 

[Gunnersgoal22]

Everyone is going to have a tainted opinion on this due to what team they support. (I mean the people on this website, not in UEFA) For example if you support the champions of the Kazakhstan league you will like this, but if you support Real or Arsenal then you will say it's ****.
Even if I didn't support Arsenal I think I would truly say that it won't add excitement to add the champions of Andorra and take away Milan. The level of competition would go down and the games wouldn't be as close.
The only time I would change it is if it starts happening that 30 out of the 32 teams are the same every year.

 

[Lonestarr022]

It'll never happen, England's FA has too much powere, they would prolly hire someone to off Platini before it would go through.

 

[Socrates]

Doesn't the fact that teams like Valencia, Liverpool, Arsenal, etc.. all the teams which would probably be affected by this, be forced out, make them more competitive in the League? Making football in general better? Sure, the champion's would be worse for a while, but there are seedings and preliminaries, so the weak teams aren't going to get far anyways, and if they do, than they clearly deserve it. Besides, with time, they'll all improve, every team in Europe would now have a chance to get in, so, like I said, football generally would improve, despite a slump during the first few years.

Also, doesn't anyone find the last stages of the finals a tad boring now? It's always the same teams, a bunch of English, Italian, German, Spanish, occasional French and Dutch teams all being matched up together. For the last couple of years, I think most teams in the quarters have already faced each other, and you can be sure that next year 6 out of the 8 teams remaining would be back in the quarters. It takes away from the competition because everyone knows everyone's tactics and players, everything is quite predictable, which is why no one is expecting Roma and Valencia to get to the semi's. I'm all for adding diversity to the competition and seeing minnows get to where teams like Barcelona and Chelsea are at.

How would that make it more competative for Arse, Lpool, etc? As I said before nothing will change because the smaller teams don't have the finance of the big ones and even if they do than they lack the reputation to make a formidable team. The big teams would just snatch up their players.

How would adding weaker teams make it unpredictable? If Man Utd played the champions of Latvia for instance, Man U would win 99/100 times and the other one would be maybe a draw. The semis would be the same every year with the big teams making it. Roma and Valencia are not weak teams, I actually expected Valencia to knock Inter out. Let me ask you this, how many people expected Barca to go out so fast?

 

[$teauA]

who wants to see stuea bucharest vs dynamo zagreb ( no offense by the way).

offense taken, when was the last time Real made the semi-finals of a continental tournament?

edit: i'm sorry, let me rephrase that: when was the last time Real won anything?

 

[Bobby]

thas tru having teams from the smaller countries will only get viewers from those countries and i bet all the small teams wont even make it into the quarters and the ppl around the world like in Africa, America, Mid East, Asia will lost lots of interest b/c they wouldnt know who these clubs are

What if they got money from the CL, invested it in youth and became top class teams? Then they'd get their own fans. Of course big clubs would be against that because those fans would come from their target markets.

 

[Ubik Valis]

if u have just the champions of europe in the champions league, no one will watch the matches except for the semi finals and final.

who wants to see stuea bucharest vs dynamo zagreb ( no offense by the way).

Just because a club's name isn't as big in the world as names like Real Madrid, Barca and Man U, does not mean they play sh!tty football.

 

[Kibe Kru]

The thing Dragan, is that some people in some places don't watch football, they watch Man Utd or Real or whatever...

 

[pede54]

Will Platini stand up to G14 or will he bottle it? That is the question really. I predict that he will bottle it.

Every League Champions team DESERVES to be able to enter the competition. Whatever the team might be and whatever league they are from.

There was a time when this actually was the case. Now its just a pantomime for the rich and famous.

3rd and 4th positions in a domestic league should get you NOTHING. Even second place is dubious. Champions only for the Champions League. I agree that domestic leagues would indeed benefit due to only one place being made available.

And if you win it one year but fail to qualify the next year. Tough.....You are out.

 

[CarlosDanger]

Will Platini stand up to G14 or will he bottle it? That is the question really. I predict that he will bottle it.

Every League Champions team DESERVES to be able to enter the competition. Whatever the team might be and whatever league they are from.

There was a time when this actually was the case. Now its just a pantomime for the rich and famous.

3rd and 4th positions in a domestic league should get you NOTHING. Even second place is dubious. Champions only for the Champions League. I agree that domestic leagues would indeed benefit due to only one place being made available.

And if you win it one year but fail to qualify the next year. Tough.....You are out.

I agree with everything except the last point. I would invite the holder back.

 

[Jaouadinho]

offense taken, when was the last time Real made the semi-finals of a continental tournament?

edit: i'm sorry, let me rephrase that: when was the last time Real won anything?

sorry but i didnt mean to offend you, but you missing my point, people wont watch the champions league if it doesnt have the big teams init and if you include only the champions of european leagues then it would be so boring to watch and people will lose intrest and there for money and the tournaments greatnes.

i have nothing against smaller teams i watch any football match there is personally no matter who is playing, except barca LoL but again i didnt mean to offend anyone here.

 

[Vedran-10]

It would be terrible, IMO.

Last summer, Dinamo Zagreb was on a tour in Spain. They played a few friendlies and struggled against 2nd and 3rd division sides. The Croatian champion is held to a draw by a Segunda team. Is that the team you want to see in the Champions League? Because if it is, you may as well take one of the top 5 clubs from the Segunda because it would be the same thing. I don't want that kind of football anywhere near Europe. When they actually start playing, they will make it into the CL.

On Champions League nights, I anticipate the games all day because it's the best competition on Earth, it has the best clubs in Europe and the best players in Europe. It has the very best that Europe has to offer. And if you would take for example West Ham, who are struggling in the EPL, and had them play Dinamo Zagreb or the champion of some other poor league, they'd rip them apart without too much sweat. I've been seeing things like that for years now. The leagues that give the most teams to the CL are the best leagues in Europe and they deserve to be better represented than others. Their average teams would humiliate the top sides of weaker leagues. It's just the way it is.

For me, the Champions League is the league of the BEST clubs in Europe. If the word "Champions" is the problem, then change the name. The competition is spectacular and it's the best football has to offer. Why you want to take that away and make it a lot weaker, I don't know.

We all enjoy the big games. Barca - Chelsea, Madrid - Bayern, Liverpool - Milan... fantastic games, ones that are hard to repeat because of the quality those teams possess and the intensity a huge match-up brings. We all want to see the giants collide, because it, in most cases, means top quality football. And when they do, then it's "Ugh, look at all those big clubs, they have it all served for them, 4th in this league, 2nd in this league, it's so unfair, conspiracy etc etc etc".
No, no, no. The big clubs play the competition because they are the best clubs.

I want a competition where I'll see the fixture list and say "Look at all those great games, the giants are going to play each other."

That's the glory of the competition.

Some people must be very unhappy with the quality of the CL so far.

 

[$teauA]

It would be terrible, IMO.

Last summer, Dinamo Zagreb was on a tour in Spain. They played a few friendlies and struggled against 2nd and 3rd division sides. The Croatian champion is held to a draw by a Segunda team. Is that the team you want to see in the Champions League? Because if it is, you may as well take one of the top 5 clubs from the Segunda because it would be the same thing. I don't want that kind of football anywhere near Europe. When they actually start playing, they will make it into the CL.

On Champions League nights, I anticipate the games all day because it's the best competition on Earth, it has the best clubs in Europe and the best players in Europe. It has the very best that Europe has to offer. And if you would take for example West Ham, who are struggling in the EPL, and had them play Dinamo Zagreb or the champion of some other poor league, they'd rip them apart without too much sweat. I've been seeing things like that for years now. The leagues that give the most teams to the CL are the best leagues in Europe and they deserve to be better represented than others. Their average teams would humiliate the top sides of weaker leagues. It's just the way it is.

For me, the Champions League is the league of the BEST clubs in Europe. If the word "Champions" is the problem, then change the name. The competition is spectacular and it's the best football has to offer. Why you want to take that away and make it a lot weaker, I don't know.

We all enjoy the big games. Barca - Chelsea, Madrid - Bayern, Liverpool - Milan... fantastic games, ones that are hard to repeat because of the quality those teams possess and the intensity a huge match-up brings. We all want to see the giants collide, because it, in most cases, means top quality football. And when they do, then it's "Ugh, look at all those big clubs, they have it all served for them, 4th in this league, 2nd in this league, it's so unfair, conspiracy etc etc etc".
No, no, no. The big clubs play the competition because they are the best clubs.

I want a competition where I'll see the fixture list and say "Look at all those great games, the giants are going to play each other."

That's the glory of the competition.

Some people must be very unhappy with the quality of the CL so far.

That makes a lot of sense....

I don't know if you're just ignorant or maybe stupid but there's no way that the "weaker teams" as you call them will ever catch up with the "giants" simply because the money is flowing in the direction of the rich clubs and not the clubs that need the money to be able to transfer top talent so they can compete with the multi-million dollar transfers that Barca, Real, 'Pool Man Utd, Chelsea etc... make every season. Don't want to change the format of the CL? That's fine, no problem with that, instead start giving the same bonuses for UEFA Cup matches and watch how in a few seasons the "weaker leagues" will regularly get 2-3 teams in the CL groups year in a year out.

If UEFA was a goverment it would have the flow of revenue in its economic market equivalent to Mexico or Saudi Arabia (incredibly rich countries who because of their poor flow of money within their borders have an extremely rich upper class and a terribly poor lower class with basically no middle). I repeat, there is NO WAY that the "weaker leagues" will EVER be as good as the "giants" if the current system continues.

I am 100% for what Platini is wanting to do. He realizes that there is no way that UEFA could ever gather enough revenue from the UEFA Cup to give out the same bonuses as they do for the CL so he is trying to even out the balance of cash by allowing more "weak teams" to enter the CL. Don't get your panties in a knot, the "giants" will still be there. If anything the only clubs missing will be the 4th place teams from Spain, Italy, England etc... You will still have your solid dose of Man Utd, Chelsea, Real, Barca and all the other big clubs but by keeping out that 4th team and "giving" the spot to a team from a weaker league the money will start flowing more equally throughout the continent and instead of having a few elite teams from England, Spain, Italy you will have a whole bunch of teams from all over the continent able to compete and beat anybody else on any given night.

I hope I live to see the day...

 

[Vedran-10]

That makes a lot of sense....

I don't know if you're just ignorant or maybe stupid but there's no way that the "weaker teams" as you call them will ever catch up with the "giants" simply because the money is flowing in the direction of the rich clubs and not the clubs that need the money to be able to transfer top talent so they can compete with the multi-million dollar transfers that Barca, Real, 'Pool Man Utd, Chelsea etc... make every season. Don't want to change the format of the CL? That's fine, no problem with that, instead start giving the same bonuses for UEFA Cup matches and watch how in a few seasons the "weaker leagues" will regularly get 2-3 teams in the CL groups year in a year out.

If UEFA was a goverment it would have the flow of revenue in its economic market equivalent to Mexico or Saudi Arabia (incredibly rich countries who because of their poor flow of money within their borders have an extremely rich upper class and a terribly poor lower class with basically no middle). I repeat, there is NO WAY that the "weaker leagues" will EVER be as good as the "giants" if the current system continues.

I am 100% for what Platini is wanting to do. He realizes that there is no way that UEFA could ever gather enough revenue from the UEFA Cup to give out the same bonuses as they do for the CL so he is trying to even out the balance of cash by allowing more "weak teams" to enter the CL. Don't get your panties in a knot, the "giants" will still be there. If anything the only clubs missing will be the 4th place teams from Spain, Italy, England etc... You will still have your solid dose of Man Utd, Chelsea, Real, Barca and all the other big clubs but by keeping out that 4th team and "giving" the spot to a team from a weaker league the money will start flowing more equally throughout the continent and instead of having a few elite teams from England, Spain, Italy you will have a whole bunch of teams from all over the continent able to compete and beat anybody else on any given night.

I hope I live to see the day...

First off, thanks for the insults.

"When they start playing, they'll make it into the CL" - I said that because I know what I'm talking about. It was directed at Dinamo Zagreb, the biggest club in Croatia. And if you didn't read it properly or don't understand what I said, read it again.
Dinamo has by far the most money in Croatia and they can buy every player that's worth something. They have everything that a club must have to succeed - except the management. The president is practically absent, and the guy that's running the show is a retard. He has tons of money, spends it on the best players in the league, and then fires the coach when he loses two games. That way they have to do it all over again and it's never good. There's no consistency, no guarantee that the coach will last as much as a few months. Many didn't reach the 30-day mark. They have money and don't know what to do with it. A few years ago (well, more than a few years ago), Dinamo made it into the CL and played United (0-0 at Old Trafford!). It was a great team, but they lacked experience at the top level. Unfortunately, Dinamo can't wait for next season and always decide to sell their best players during the summer, or at least fire the coach. That way, they either lost the talent or the brains of the team, and they're screwed for Europe. That happens every single year. They have the money, they just don't know how to use it like normal clubs do.
So, Dinamo are not in Europe not because of those filthy big clubs who have it all for themselves, but because they don't hold onto their talent long enough to have a good chance in Europe. It's not UEFA's fault, it's Dinamo's fault.

And Platini's plan means sacrificing the Champions League just to give more money to the smaller clubs. I would prefer if he just left the best competition in the world as it is. I hate the fact that the CL will lose a good part of its greatness because the small clubs need help. Many of those small clubs are like Dinamo. And make no mistake, Dinamo do have enough money for the CL. They have more than enough, but they waste it because, well, the club is run by morons. I repeat, they are not the only ones. Especially considering that Croatia is not the richest country around. But I guess you think that all these small clubs who can't make it into the competition are poor because the giants have conspired to take all the money and keep the CL between themselves.

Fourth team missing? Where did this come from? I thought we were talking about the CHAMPIONS League, the competiton where only champions would play, no matter how weak they are, and that there would be more big teams missing?

Ah, those coefficients.