UEFA is expected to ratify, in March, a reform of the Champions League, which, from 2024, will see 36 teams face off in a sort of league, with a ranking established on the basis of ten matches (without first leg -return) allowing to define the eighth finalist. Oleg Petrov, the vice-president of AS Monaco, welcomes “A more entertaining format for spectators, with more matches and more clashes between big clubs from the first round”.
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As the leader of a club with a European vocation, how do you welcome this reform of the Champions League?
I am in favor of it. It is positive for AS Monaco, but also for the public, the broadcasters … This first opens the doors of the Champions League to more clubs. It will also be a more entertaining format for spectators, with more matches. As for the quality of the show, there will be more clashes between big clubs in the first round, which I think was lacking in the current system.
With this project, UEFA gives way to the European Club Association, led by Andrea Agnelli (Juventus Turin), who raised the threat of a closed Superleague. Does Monaco feel in danger facing the idea of such a competition?
At AS Monaco, we are far from that today, even if the club has a lot of ambition. Monaco has a rich European history. We have played two finals in recent decades [dont une de Ligue des champions en 2004], three semi-finals of the Champions League [la dernière en 2017].
Sporting merit is important in soccer; however, the concept of closed league limits this feeling of merit. If I understand correctly the ambition of such a Superleague, I am unable to predict whether it will see the light of day or not. For our part, we do everything to participate in the Champions League by sporting it every season.
Would not the forced march towards a closed league spell the end of traditional football, that of national championships?
It is essential to maintain the national championships, which are a heritage for the public. However, I also see the need to make changes. This is why this reform of UEFA is positive, because it makes it possible to combine sporting merit – through the intermediary of preserved national competitions – and to satisfy the legitimate aspiration of the big clubs to compete more often.
The number of matches per edition of the Champions League will go from 110 to 225. At the same time, the International Federation (FIFA) will increase the schedule by organizing a World Cup for clubs. Isn’t that worrying for the health of the players?
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