Alexander Cheferin during an interview with the Associated Press
| photo: AP
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The Champions League, like many other sports competitions, was suspended for several months due to the covid-19 infection, and UEFA had to temporarily change its playing system in order to complete it. After finishing the eight-final series, a tournament for the quarterfinalists took place in Lisbon, where, however, only one match was played without revenge.
A similar system was introduced in the European League, and Ceferin said he had only positive responses to it.
“I have to say that playing one match seems more interesting to me than classically to two matches,” the 52-year-old Slovenian told AP. “It’s one of the interesting effects of the pandemic. We had to implement this system and in the end we find that it is very interesting, “he added.
Ceferin would therefore not resist changing the format. “A tournament for eight quarter-finalists would be bad on the schedule, but people like dramatic matches and in the Champions League and in the European League, everyone can beat everyone in one match. We should think about this in the future. In September or October, we could take it very seriously, “he added.
The head of UEFA also disagrees that due to fewer matches, UEFA would lose money from broadcasting rights. “There would be fewer matches, but if you put it right, their value could be even greater. My friends from football and beyond send me messages how enthusiastic they are about this system, not tactics, “said Čeferin.
According to him, it may not be feasible to organize a tournament for eight quarterfinalists in a busy season like now, but the weekly Final Four might not be a problem. “You would be in the spotlight for a week, the whole world would be watching you and that would be fantastic. But we’ll see. The calendar is very busy, players play almost 365 days a year and we must not forget that, “added Čeferin.
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