‘Unfeasible’ Champions League plans worry Premier League clubs

Premier League clubs have major concerns that plans to expand the Champions League will lead to “unfeasible” fixture congestion, and the potential for European matches to be staged on the same day as top-flight domestic games.

Up until now, there has been an agreement with UEFA that there should be no clash between Champions League matches and Premier League games, with the weekend protected for domestic fixtures.

But Sky Sports News has been told there are widespread concerns that UEFA’s plans will be unworkable, and may lead to European and domestic games going head to head – especially if proposals are pushed through for 10 Champions League group matches per team from 2024 instead of the six matches currently played.

UEFA has already committed to expanding the Champions League from 32 teams to 36 from 2024. That was voted through without fanfare at their executive committee meeting last month.

We understand the Premier League is currently lobbying UEFA for only two extra matches per team in the group stages instead of the proposed four. That would take the total number of games in the group stages to eight per team.

Under the current system, there are 125 Champions League games in total per season. If the tournament is expanded to include eight group games per team, that would mean 64 more matches – 189 in total (a 50 per cent increase), while 10 group games would lead to 100 more games, and a total of 225 Champions League matches throughout Europe, over the course of the tournament – a 80 per cent increase.

Some officials have told Sky Sports News that such a sizeable expansion could well lead to a drop in UEFA revenue, because broadcasters across Europe might be put off from bidding for the rights to host the tournament. UEFA rules dictate that broadcasters who win the rights must show all matches, and not cherry-pick the best.

The new “Swiss format” which UEFA has proposed is expected to be ratified next month by its executive committee – though there are murmurings among European officials that UEFA may be forced to compromise.

The plans include 36 clubs all in one “conference”, whereby each team is drawn to play eight or ten different opponents, based on UEFA’s “coefficient” – which means those teams who have done better in European competitions historically will be seeded higher, and play more of their group games against lesser opposition.

The top 16 teams in the conference will then progress to the knockout stages, where the format will remain the same as now. There will no longer be home and away games against the same opposition until the knockout stages.

Elsewhere in Europe, there are concerns that UEFA is pandering to the elite English clubs by offering them more and more places in the Champions League, at the expense of smaller footballing nations. Currently, the champions of 44 European countries have to pre-qualify for the Champions League before they have the chance of reaching the group stages.

‘Unfeasible’ Champions League plans worry Premier League clubs
Source: Healthy Lifestyle

Leonen is backlog topnotcher

Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen has racked up the top spots in his division and the court en banc in terms of pending cases. Marvic Leonen Documents from the court show that aside from 82 unresolved en banc cases, Leonen also has 899 pending cases in the Third Division as of March 31, 2020. The division’s Statistics on Judicial Pending Cases was signed by Division Clerk of Court Misael Domingo Battung erd. Leonen has 199 cases classified as “aging” and 700 “non-aging” cases in the Third Division which he heads. Non-aging cases are cases which are waiting for other pleadings to be submitted. Other members of the Third Division at that time when the statistics were made were Justices Alexander Gesmundo, Rosmari Carandang, Rodil Zalameda and Samuel Gaerlan. Leonen has been with the Supreme Court for eight years, having been appointed by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Nov. 21, 2012. He turns 58 years old on December 29. He is the division’s m...

Magbasa nang higit pa

NHL exec Colin Campbell explains league’s schedule goals in Canada

NHL senior executive vice president Colin Campbell says the league would like to try to preserve as many full-capacity home games as possible for Canadian fans, but acknowledges other factors are at play in redoing the schedule during the current COVID-19 surge. “You’d like to give the fans the opportunity to go to as many games as they can. They’ve already been shortchanged in the last year and a half … shortchanged completely watching hockey here in Canada,” Campbell said in an interview on the Real Kyper and Bourne show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Friday. “It’s a rite of passage to watch the world juniors this time of year for all young kids. I remember growing up watching it. Now, it’s cancelled. We’re trying to save as much as we can and delay it.” The NHL postponed nine more games on Friday because of arena capacity issues in Canada — with teams being allowed anywhere from zero fans (Montreal Canadiens) to 50 per cent capacity (Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Can...

Magbasa nang higit pa

SMC, Animal Kingdom rescue abandoned animals in Taliptip, Bulakan

Domestic animals that were abandoned in Barangay Taliptip in Bukakan, Bulacan were rescued by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and Animal Kingdom AFTER providing new homes for former residents of Barangay Taliptip in Bulakan, Bulacan — future site of its P740-billion Manila International Airport project — San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is now helping rescue and relocate domestic animals that were abandoned in the area. SMC and animal welfare organization Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) have been working together to rescue some 70 abandoned or stray animals, mostly dogs, left at the site. Animal Kingdom is a non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to improving the welfare and living conditions of animals and eliminating the cruel trade of dog meat for human consumption in the country. Some 50 animals, consisting of dogs and cats, have been rescued. At least 20 more are set to be rescued from different sitios in the coming days. The rescued animals are brought to Animal Kingdo...

Magbasa nang higit pa

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Hanapan ang Blog na Ito