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UEFA is set to launch a third European club competition from the start of the 2021\/22 season, European Club Association (ECA) president Andrea Agnelli has confirmed.<\/p>\nUEFA is set to launch a third European club competition from the start of the 2021\/22 season, European Club Association (ECA) president Andrea Agnelli has confirmed.<\/p>\n
In his opening address at the ECA\u2019s biannual general meeting in Split on Tuesday, the Juventus chairman said: \u201cPending approval of the UEFA executive committee, the green light has been given to introduce a third competition, bringing the overall number of clubs to 96, as of the 2021\/22 season.\u201d<\/p>\n
This means the Europa League\u2019s group stage would be reduced from 48 teams to 32, with the new competition and the Champions League all having the same number.<\/p>\n
UEFA has made little secret of the fact it has been looking at ways to raise the Europa League\u2019s profile while also giving more clubs a shot at European competition, and therefore its ever-growing financial benefits, too.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, UEFA has said it is \u201cconstantly reviewing\u201d its competitions and has been \u201cdiscussing various ideas within its Club Competitions Committee before any decision on potential changes would be made\u201d.<\/p>\n
But with Agnelli and Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis representing the ECA on UEFA\u2019s 17-member ExCo, it would seem the decision is a done deal.<\/p>\n
Details on how the new competition will work remain uncertain but it will not be a straight replacement for the Cup Winners\u2019 Cup, which was discontinued in 1999.<\/p>\n
It is more likely that it will be a Champions League-lite, with entry limited to teams from Europe\u2019s weaker national leagues.<\/p>\n
While this is undoubtedly attractive to the clubs, many of whom are among the ECA\u2019s 232 members, it is likely to cause alarm at European Leagues, the organisation that represents leagues in 25 countries, many of whom are already concerned about the effect UEFA prize money has on the competitive balance of their competitions.<\/p>\n
As well as the future of Europe\u2019s club competitions, Agnelli told ECA members that UEFA\u2019s revised Financial Fair Play rules \u201cwill be even more effective than the ones we had in place which delivered astonishing results\u201d \u2013 this being a reference to the dramatic reduction in club debt since the cost-control measures were introduced in 2011.<\/p>\n
Agnelli also said clubs want a \u201cdetailed assessment of the existing international match calendar\u201d after 2024, as the \u201ccurrent model needs modernizing\u201d.<\/p>\n