Ceferin: Rich-poor divide is key issue in European football

GENEVA: Preventing the growing gap between the rich clubs and the rest is the key issue in European football, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.

The issue came to a head last year when UEFA, with the European Club Association’s (ECA) backing, introduced changes to the Champions League which will reduce the number group stage slots allocated to teams from Europe’s smaller leagues.

The decision was made amid suggestions that the big clubs were considering a breakaway Super League.

“Let’s put our cards on the table and be honest with ourselves: the biggest challenge over the next few years will be ‘competitive balance’,” Ceferin told the ECA general assembly.

“How can we continue to develop football in Europe and avoid widening the huge gulf between the most powerful and the rest? That is the million-dollar question.

“I am a pragmatist; I am open to any practical suggestion that might benefit European football,” he added.

Ceferin said he was pleased that he had been able to talk to the ECA about “ideas such as salary caps, luxury tax, squad limits andeven reforming the transfer system” during the last few months.

“If this is the direction we must take, we will,” he added.

Ceferin, elected as UEFA president in September after the changes had been approved, admitted they had created “a few misunderstandings and frustrations for some”.

The Slovenian lawyer also insisted the UEFA would enforce its breakeven rules known as Financial Fair Play. — Reuters