Swiss league opposes elite clubs' Champions League plan

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Europe

Switzerland's 20 first and second division clubs have unanimously rejected a UEFA proposal that they fear could bar their access to the Champions League, the latest development in a row which threatens to split European football.

UEFA is working with the European Club Association (ECA), whose members include all of the continent's biggest clubs, to redesign European competition from 2024.

This involves allowing the top 24 teams in a 32-team Champions League to keep their places year after year, ending the tradition that qualifying for European competition is achieved via national leagues.

The Swiss league said their plans would have "unacceptable consequences" for Swiss soccer. The proposal leaves only four entries for national champions to qualify.

"The dream of participating in UEFA club competitions and the prospect of playing matches against the continent's major traditional clubs must continue to live on," said the Swiss league's chief executive Claudius Schaeffer.

He added, "we want to keep the opportunity to be part of memorable European nights in the future."

Switzerland's Young Boys (yellow) face Italy's Juventus in a Champions League match in Bern, Switzerland, December 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Other leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga have also opposed the proposal, which the ECA is due to discuss in Malta next week.

Currently, the Swiss champion and runner-up enter the Champions League preliminary rounds.

UEFA expects to decide next year how its signature club competition will look in five years.

(With input from AFP and AP)