UEFA ‘could alter its revamped Champions League format amid fallout from European Super League’

UEFA may be forced to make alterations to their revamped Champions League format, removing the awarding of places based on historical performances as the fallout of the failed European Super League continues, The Guardian reports.

President Aleksander Ceferin had threatened to ban the 12 breakaway clubs from entering their competition following their seismic announcement on Sunday that threatened to change the football landscape forever.

Now that the majority of those clubs have backed down from the Super League, such bans are unlikely to be imposed, but UEFA chiefs may be forced to rethink their own new format that was approved on Monday.

The revamped competition would see the number of participating clubs expand from 32 to 36, with two of the four additional clubs reserved for ‘clubs with the highest club coefficient over the last five years’ that have not qualified through league position but have qualified for the Europa League or Europa Conference League. 

UEFA may be forced to reconsider their revamped Champions League format amid the ESL

Aleksander Ceferin has championed the Swiss-style format that was approved on Monday

Essentially, that would afford protection for clubs from Europe’s top five leagues who have consistently qualified for the competition but have endured a poor season, guaranteeing their place in the tournament regardless of performance. 

Much of the fury with the European Super League was centred on its failure to award places to clubs based on merit and shutting off the avenue for promotion and relegation – making the competition a ‘closed shop’. 

And The Guardian reports that although UEFA have given no indication that they will make changes to the new format, there may be alterations that would reward places to champions of smaller domestic leagues who would otherwise be made to enter pre-qualification rounds. 

However, the backlash surrounding the ‘closed shop’ Super League could force changes 

The revamped format would hand places to teams based on historical performances

‘Further decisions regarding matters such as the rebalancing of the access list, match dates, seeding system, format for the finals, coefficients and financial distribution will be made by the end of the year and potential adjustments to the format approved today could still be made if necessary,’ UEFA’s statement on announcing the new proposals on Monday read. 

Ceferin had labelled the breakaway clubs ‘the dirty dozen’ and branded Juventus president Andrea Agnelli a ‘snake’ and Man United chief Ed Woodward a ‘liar’ on Monday.

By Tuesday, the UEFA president extended an olive branch to the 12 clubs, insisting that they would be welcomed back to the fold if they backed out of the Super League.

Manchester CIty were the first club to officially confirm their intention to leave and were followed by Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Atletico Madrid also withdrew from the competition, leaving it in tatters just 72 hours after it was announced.  

The Guardian reports that UEFA could amend that new rule before the end of the year