Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 37
A new era in European club football begins this week when the first games are played in the expanded Champions League amid curiosity about the rejigged format as well as growing concerns over an ever-increasing number of matches.
UEFA, the European game’s governing body, sensed the need for change at a time when the traditional group stage was becoming more predictable and the continent’s biggest clubs were threatening to break away and form their own Super League.
The result is a league phase featuring 36 clubs — four more teams than in the past — with everyone playing eight matches against eight different opponents, two more games than previously.
The action starts in earnest on Tuesday, when reigning champions Real Madrid begin their quest for a record-extending 16th title with a home game against VfB Stuttgart, the surprise runners-up in last season’s German Bundesliga.
Winners of the competition pocketing over 86 million euros ($95.3m) just in prize money, not including bonuses of 700,000 euros for every point gained in the league phase or income from television.
The draw has thrown up plenty of glamour ties throughout the coming months, including Paris Saint-Germain meeting Arsenal and Manchester City, and Madrid playing Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Milan
Source: AFP
