Champions' League

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Knockout move for Champions' League

Thursday 11th July 2002

Uefa has decided to scrap the second group stage of the Champions' League from 2003-04 and replace it with knockout games for the last 16 teams. This will reduce the number of games for the eventual winners from 17 to 13.

The current Champions' League format and the second group phase in particular have been severely criticised because of the strain it puts on players.

But more games means more cash for the clubs and Uefa, so Thursday's decision was largely unexpected.

It was taken at Uefa's two-day meeting in Nyon, Switzerland. The first group phase, with 32 teams involved, remains intact.

Uefa president Lennart Johansson said: "We believe this reduction in the size of the competition is in the longer-term interests of everyone involved - clubs, players, fans, broadcasters, sponsors and European football in general.

"It is not easy to change a competition which is recognised as the best club event in the world, but sometimes you need to act for the future.

"We have been listening carefully to our stakeholders and it is clear that there are a variety of views - however, we believe this is a moment for leadership in the wider interests of the game."

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The G-14 lobby, which includes Bayern Munich, Manchester United and European champions Real Madrid, oppose Thursday's decision to scrap the second group phase of the competition.
'We are very surprised by the decision,' said a G-14 statement on Friday.

'This sudden 'u-turn' is not only in direct contradiction with the decision taken by the UEFA executive committee in December 2001 to maintain the current format, it also ignores the wish of the majority of the clubs having attended the UEFA clubs workshop in February 2002.

'We wish to express disappointment and disapproval with regards to the form in which UEFA proceeded in changing the format of the most important European club competition.'

UEFA, European football's governing body, said they will replace the second group phase with an extra two-legged knockout round, although 16 clubs will still progress from the 32-strong first group phase.

The change will come into effect for the 2003-04 season.

The G-14 said they will formulate a response to UEFA's chosen format by the time of their general assembly meeting in Monaco on August 30.

But they insisted that international football should also sacrifice matches in an attempt to ease fixture congestion for top players.

'With the congested international calendar indicated by UEFA as the main reason justifying the change, G-14 reiterates that an alleviation of the fixture list may not be conducted on the back of club football only,' the statement said.

'G-14 therefore... requests a comparable reduction of dates reserved for national team matches, friendly matches in particular.'