HOW

important is money to Champions League success? Well, consider this: in the 2018-19 2 edition, throughout the eight qualifying groups, 15 of the 16 teams that progressed were among the two clubs with the richest squads. Only Ajax getting ahead of Benfica in Group E bucked that trend — but these clubs were nearer in squad value than any second and third placed teams in the tournament. Also there have been 80 knockout places up for grabs in the past five years, yet only 32 clubs have filled them. It makes the greed of Europe’s elite even more appalling: they already have their damn super league.