MX23RW : Thursday, January 16 02:18:19| >> :600:184074970:184074970:

Fans 'won't support Champions League games at weekends'

Fans 'won't support Champions League games at weekends'
© Reuters
UEFA is said to be considering such a proposal.

Champions League matches at weekends would not have the backing of supporters, according to a key figure in the European game.

Representatives from UEFA and the European Club Association are set to meet on Tuesday, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that radical changes to the format of continental club competitions will be discussed.

Moving Champions League games to the weekend and introducing a promotion and relegation system are reported to be two of the ideas set to be floated.

Could Manchester United and Paris St Germain meet at the weekends in the future
Could Manchester United and Paris St Germain meet at the weekends in the future (John Walton/PA)

However, European Leagues, the organisation which represents 35 professional leagues across 28 countries, believes supporters' love of domestic action at a weekend would prevent the idea gaining traction.

European Leagues deputy general secretary Alberto Colombo told Press Association Sport: "Football is a conservative business and we know that the passion of fans is driven by the domestic game.

"English fans love going to see Premier League games at the weekend and it's the same with fans everywhere else, too.

"We know they won't back this idea because they love the traditional rivalries between their cities and communities.

"When you go to the office or you're at school, you don't have a friend who is a Bayern Munich fan, do you?

"Your colleagues support Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, and those are the rivalries we want to talk about on Monday morning."

Colombo was speaking the day before European football's governing body UEFA meets the European Club Association's executive board in Nyon.

The Wall Street Journal reported that changes to the format could be introduced as early as 2021.

UEFA, however, has played down the significance of the meeting, describing it as an "informal brainstorming session...to discuss ideas and exchange views regarding club competitions post-2024".

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is seeking consensus on the way forward for European club competitions
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is seeking consensus on the way forward for European club competitions (Niall Carson/PA)

In a statement, UEFA added: "We will hold similar meetings with other stakeholder groups in the coming months, in order to allow for a proper consultation process before drawing up concrete proposals that could be studied more in-depth before any decisions are made."

Colombo confirmed that the European Leagues, for example, will also be meeting UEFA in the coming weeks, although no date has been fixed yet.

Last month, the governing body and the ECA extended the memorandum of understanding they initially agreed in 2015 to effectively lock down the status quo until 2024, with the exception of the launch of a third club competition, the so-called Europa League 2, in 2021.

The ECA, which represents 232 of the best teams across Europe, declined to comment on Tuesday's meeting but is understood to view the session as a very preliminary conversation about the evolution of UEFA's tournaments and further evidence of the collaborative relationship they have with the governing body.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Matt Slater, Press Association Chief Sports Reporter');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '69bc5a80-d2ea-48ed-9dc9-e0534394cc6a');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Fans \u2018won\u2019t support Champions League games at weekends\u2019'});

ID:353837: cacheID:353837:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8434:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Andrew Robertson celebrates Roberto Firmino's goal for Liverpool on January 3, 2019
Read Next:
Liverpool's Robertson sets sights on double
>
Read more about Champions League Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool20145148202847
2Arsenal21127241192243
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest21125430201041
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle21115537221538
5Chelsea21107441261537
6Manchester CityMan City2110563829935
7Aston Villa2110563132-135
8Bournemouth219753225734
9Fulham217953230230
10Brentford218494037328
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham217592741-1426
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs21731143321124
14Crystal Palace215972328-524
15Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
16Everton203891526-1117
17Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2144133148-1716
19Leicester CityLeicester2135132346-2314
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!