The Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, said the single-game knockout format used in the Champions League from the quarter-finals onwards has produced more exciting football than the usual two-leg games and could be revisited.
The format was changed to allow the competition to be completed in a shorter time after the Covid-19 pandemic halted play for several months across Europe in March. Eight clubs headed to Lisbon and the final will be played later on Sunday, pitting Bayern Munich against PSG.
“We were forced to do it but in the end we see that we found out something new. So we will think about it in the future for sure,” Ceferin said.
He added that without a second leg to fall back on, teams have been forced to go for goals. “[There has been] not so much tactics. If it is one match, if one team scores then the other has to score as soon as possible. If it is a two-leg system then there is still time to win the next match.
“More exciting matches for sure but of course we also have to think about the fact that we have less matches and broadcasters [can] say ‘you don’t have as many matches as before, this is different’ so we will have to discuss when this crazy situation ends.”
The Bayern juggernaut, fixtures and Wiegman
The final-eight tournament took place without fans and the prospect of supporters from eight clubs descending on one city could cause security and logistical problems. The format is locked in place contractually until 2024-2025 but discussions are due to begin later this year on the structure for the competition for the next phase.
The tournament has been played over 11 days and clearing space in the congested international calendar would be another obstacle to overcome but Ceferin is clearly intrigued by the possibilities.
“Look, it is a very interesting format. Now, I doubt as much as the calendar is now, we could do a final-eight [tournament], because it would take too much time. But a format with one match and a system like it is now, I think it would be much more exciting than the format before,” he said.
“We haven’t discussed it with anyone, its just an idea. If you play in one city, you can have a week of football or something like that. But it is far too early to think about it.”
from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3hnOyuE
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