Breaking news: Qualification for Champions League Amended

[Colm55]

Check this out:

http://www.aircollector.com/uefa.htm

[fosterdollar]

In fairness, an opportunity to defend your trophy really has to be given.

[NeilMcD]

They did have an opportunity to defend it, it was called qualifying through the league positions. Milan will defend their trophy next season. I dont see what the big fuss is, I did not hear any Liverpool fans complaining at the start of the season when the rules for the Champions League are put up on their website. Winners of the World CUp and European Championships do not automatically qualify. I would presume its the same for the Uefa Cup also

[Stuttgart88]

I think we should wait & see who wins the CL before this debate takes off. There's more than a hint of "there's danger here" to all of this.

[PaulB]

Check this out:

http://www.aircollector.com/uefa.htm

funny..

[fosterdollar]

As a neutral when it comes to the CL proper, i would prefer to see the rules of the competition changed to allow the holders automatic entry so as to let them defend their hold on the trophy. I am not disputing the rules nor am i defending Liverpool FC. As it stands, the four places allocated to the Premiership are a means to qualify for the (separate) competition. IMO being the holder should be another. I say this regardless of who is playing in the competition.

[NeilMcD]

Yes but you cant change the rules mid-season. If they want to change it then it should be done before next seasons Champions League. However The World Cup Winners used to automatically qualify but that is not the case anymore, so the trend is in the other direction.

[Bald Student]

Should the winners of the UEFA Cup be obliged to defend their trophy even if they qualify for the champions league? It's a double standard otherwise.

[fosterdollar]

Yes but you cant change the rules mid-season. If they want to change it then it should be done before next seasons Champions League.

Agreed, my original post doesn't conflict with this. I just meant it as voicing my opinion on the subject in general.

Should the winners of the UEFA Cup be obliged to defend their trophy even if they qualify for the champions league? It's a double standard otherwise.

Not necessarily, my point was that they should be given the opportunity to defend the trophy. By that virtue they wouldn't be obliged to play CL (but obviously would for prestige and financial reasons)

[holidaysong]

Not necessarily, my point was that they should be given the opportunity to defend the trophy. By that virtue they wouldn't be obliged to play CL (but obviously would for prestige and financial reasons)

Good point.

I personally think though that UEFA should do something to make the UEFA cup better - in a few years it will be as crap as the Cup winners cup was and nobody will take an interest. Maybe they should make the Champions League smaller and reinvent the UEFA cup somehow. The group stage they brought in this year is a start I guess..

[fosterdollar]

Champions League should be champions only (+ holders) - as i remember somebody posted on this MB before.

[StretchRyan]

That link isnt to the uefa site at all, so therefore untrue!!!

I guess some windup site.

[NeilMcD]

I think i just heard a penny dropping somewhere in the world

[4tothefloor]

That's a wind up.

Regards World Cup and Euro Championship winners not getting automatic qualification - it's because there's a four year gap between tournaments. So a different team is benefitting from another teams achievement 4 years previously. It was a stupid rule to begin with. On the other hand, the CL is a yearly competition, so it makes sense for the winners to be allowed defend their trophy the following year.

As far as I know, the rules can be changed before next year, but the deadline is only 3 or 4 weeks away.

[Kerry Blue]

Check this out:

http://www.aircollector.com/uefa.htm

Brilliant!!
Great laugh.