MX23RW : Sunday, December 15 11:17:29| >> :60:2929:2929:

Ed Woodward: Ideas to revamp Champions League "interesting"

Ed Woodward: Ideas to revamp Champions League
© Reuters
The Manchester United chief has said the proposals are "interesting but there's a lot of work to do".

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward believes the radical changes being explored to the format of continental club competitions are "partly driven by domestic leagues across Europe not necessarily thriving".

Moving Champions League games to the weekend and introducing a promotion and relegation system are reported to be two of the ideas that have been floated in UEFA proposals which could come into effect in 2024.

Woodward is keeping an open mind on the potential upheaval to Europe's elite club competitions, which could lead to an increase in the number of featured teams.

Speaking on a conference call to United's investors, he said: "This is partly driven by domestic leagues across Europe not necessarily thriving and there being a desire from the clubs that are toward the top of those leagues to play more European games, which perhaps are more competitive.

"I think there is drive from UEFA, which is laudable, which is to try to give greater access to more teams.

"If you look at the year just about to finish, 80 teams competed in the two competitions and the proposal for (2024) is 128 teams so a greater than 50 per cent increase in the number of teams playing in Europe.

"There are other factors as well, from our perspective we view these proposals as interesting but there's a lot of work to do with stakeholders to assess this.

"We're doing that ourselves together with our colleagues in the Premier League and the ECA (European Club Association).

"From a timeline perspective we can expect to hear more and more feedback on progress around this through 2019 and so therefore maybe clarity and somewhere around from six to nine months from now."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '834e4b50-9230-4e11-841d-4469653f32ee');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,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': 'Ed Woodward has his say on the proposals to change Champions League\u2019s format'});

ID:359451: cacheID:359451:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3970:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Paulo Dybala in action for Juventus on September 26, 2018
Read Next:
Dybala agent: 'Juventus exit is likely'
>
Read more about Ed Woodward Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Chiefs
@
Browns
6pm
Ravens
@
Giants
6pm
Jets
@
Jags
6pm
Cowboys
@
Panthers
6pm
Washington
@
Saints
6pm
Dolphins
@
Texans
6pm
Bengals
@
Titans
9.25pm
Colts
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Patriots
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Buccaneers
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Steelers
@
Eagles
9.25pm
Bills
@
Lions
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City158342721627
6Aston Villa167452425-125
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Fulham166642422224
10Brentford157263128323
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton153661421-715
16Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1512121131-205


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!