Scots clubs ‘deserve’ extra slot among Euro elite

EUROPEAN Leagues president Lars-Christer Olsson insists extra Champions League places should go to teams like the Scottish Premiership winners instead of also-rans from bigger countries. UEFA are finalising a plan that would increase the number of teams in the tournament from 32 to 36 from 2024, abolish the traditional group stage, and generate more money for clubs from ten guaranteed games instead of six. It would also mean a spot for the third-placed team in the fifth-ranked nation — currently France — plus three teams who did not qualify but have high UEFA coefficients. That could see teams who have finished as low as sixth in leagues in the top-five associations — England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France — qualifying for the Champions League. However, the European Leagues group want UEFA to share access and prize money more widely to support domestic competitions and avoid widening the wealth gap. Olsson, president of a group representing 37 domestic leagues across 30 countries, insisted the champions of smaller countries ‘like Scotland and Denmark’ must be given preference. He said: ‘It must not be allocated to one of the big five associations. We are preferring the champions from Scotland, Denmark or Switzerland, for example, to qualify rather than team No 6 from England or Spain.’ If Olsson’s preferred entry path applied today, the four teams qualifying would be Lyon plus the champions of Scotland, Ukraine and Turkey — UEFA’s leagues ranked 11th to 13.