cut from 20 to 16?

No no.


Barcelona president Sandro Rosell says the Premier League needs to be cut by four teams to help the Champions League.

Rosell, who is also vice president of the European Club Association (ECA), wants to play European games at weekends and to cut down on international fixtures.

"We have to convince the Premier League to reduce to 16 [teams]," he said.

We want to have the Champions League under the Uefa umbrella but we want them to hear our demands
Sandro Rosell
"We could perhaps play Barcelona versus Manchester United on Saturdays."

Rosell says such scheduling cannot happen while the leagues in England, Spain and Italy continue to have 20 clubs.

"It's something all of them (the domestic leagues) would have to agree to," he said.

"The objective of reducing from 20 to 16 teams is to give more space to our players.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15748287.stm

 

When I read the title my first thought was centimeters or millimeters.

Yes I read that and I know I'm thick but why? You know how things are quiet when stories like this start, role on January and the window.

 

Daft idea, won't happen. What is most crazy though is this:

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Terrible idea. I do agree with less international friendlies though. Does my head in waiting 2 weeks for a league game and it completely ruins the momentum.

 

Why don't they all just **** off and form their own European League. ****ing stupid idea. Thought Barca where meant to be a peoples club this sounds like a big business idea.

 

This! Not like the big clubs to think of themselves is it? Greedy, selfish bastard.

 

Yet more protectionism from 'Europes elite'.

 

Perhaps they have realised that they need us more than we need them... Tell them to fcuk off and market the premier league upon a global level in direct competition with the '1st to 4th place league'.

 

I think we need to look into the idea of different windows. No internationals during the regular season for me. 38 games a season with teams playing every Saturday would be ideal. Play the cups on a midweek so every team is still guaranteed a weekend game every week. (and those in Europe just have to deal with playing twice a week!)

Then have a 6 week window at the end of the season where you have your regional qualification tournaments for Euros/Worlds (or the actual champs themselves). 8 weeks off and everyones happy!

 

I like this, I like this a lot.

 

But they play 8-10 games in the qualifiers, traveling all over Europe, so after a 38 week (if they play every week which you said they should) + cup games + European Club competition, you then want them to play 10 internationals in 6 weeks. Or go to a big Tournament and play 7 games straight after the season ends.

Cant see it working, but then i love internationals during the season, so maybe i am being a touch biased, but still cant see it taking off.

BTW according to the paper i was reading in the shop, I never buy one, he also said he wants 8 teams from every league in the Champions league, so 1/2 the teams in the league will get into the CL.

 

I don't like this, I don't like this a lot. I'm easily swayed.

 

I would imagine they will get their wishes eventually as UEFA will more than likely support them.

UEFA are only interested in making more & more money. They ****ed about with the European Cup which WAS for the top teams.

Calling it the Champions League should make them in infringement of law seeing as it is not a champions competition.

They have spoiled the UEFA Cup by going down the same route, more games = more money.

The European elite will get their wishes sooner or later in forming their own league.

I hope they will be very happy having a kick about amongst themselves.

 

If everyone cancelled their Sky subscription if this happened it would collapse overnight. The Chinese, Indian and Far East amarkets are massive but they wont be able to pay 40 or 50 quid per month to pay for it.

Any English club leaving our league for this one should be banned for 50 years from re-entering it or any domestic competiton. If they want to come back, it should be from the non leagues.

The FA Cup and League Cup would be better off without them anyway.

 

To TRUE Cest but how many off us will!

 

I have never had Sky tv & never will do.

 

I have Virgin TV, so i am immune to this lol

But i wouldnt get rid of it, when they cut me off i go spare even though i dont watch sod all anyway apart from football and American Football, its just the fact that I cant watch something, does my head in, I just couldnt go back to 5 channels now. (especially as all 5 are ****)