European leagues open hostilities over Champions League changes

ZURICH: European football leagues on Friday suspended an accord with UEFA in protest at reforms to the Champions League which gives greater power to major clubs.

By freezing their UEFA deal, the 25 European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) members could organise their own games at the same time as Champions League matches.

Smaller European leagues are furious at UEFA’s reforms agreed in August which guaranteed four Champions League places to England, Spain, Italy and Germany from 2018. It also changed the prize money shareout.

The leagues insist they should have been consulted on the changes. “There is no other option but to terminate the current memorandum of understanding,” EPFL president Lars-Christer Olsson told a press conference after a meeting of the body.

Twenty-two leagues present at the meeting voted for the suspension which will last until March 15 next year, Olsson, head of Sweden’s professional league, said.

“This will give us and UEFA sufficient time to negotiate,” Olsson added. Italy’s Serie A voted against and Romania abstained.

Olsson said he was to meet the new UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in November. No league has yet announced that it will hold matches on Champions League days, but EPFL officials said each country was free to decide its own action.