Football: 'Soul of European football could be lost' - Football leaders discuss UCL future

The president of the European football leagues told SNTV that the game will 'lose its soul' if the Champions League becomes a 'closed competition.' on Tuesday. Responding to a keynote speech from Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli at Tuesday's Leaders Sport Business Summit in London, Lars-Christer Olsson stressed that planned reforms of UEFA club competitions from 2024 should not involve closing off Europe's top club competitions to all but the most storied clubs. Last month a proposal from the European Club Association (ECA), chaired by Agnelli, to make the UEFA Champions League a "closed" competition, guaranteeing Europe's biggest clubs 24 out of the 32 team slots in each season's competition, were rejected by angry voices from many of Europe's football clubs. But on Tuesday, Agnelli insisted the new structure, proposed to include a new third-tier continental competition below the Europa League and featuring promotion and relegation, would not be a closed shop. The Italian added that football needs to look beyond domestic leagues for commercial success as it battles not just other sports for but computer games such as Fortnite and League of Legends for the interest and money of younger generations.