© EuroFootball.com
The coach of England's "Man Utd" club, Sir Alex Ferguson, stated that he disagrees with the proposal of the new UEFA president Michel Platini to reduce the number of places allocated to big countries in the Champions League.
M. Platini would like to see three, not four, teams from the strongest leagues in Europe - Italy, England, and Spain - competing in the elite competition of the Old Continent.
Such intentions are not welcomed by the coach of the leading team in the English championship, "Man Utd."
"The competition really begins in February, but I think everything is fine at the moment. The greatness of the Champions League lies in the clashes of the big teams. If the fourth teams of these countries do not play in the Champions League, we will either need to reduce the number of participants in the tournament or give second places to other countries," Ferguson said.
A. Ferguson was supported by "Arsenal" coach A. Wenger.
"What would happen if the teams that finish in the top two places immediately qualify for the group stage, while the other two play qualifying matches against teams from smaller countries?" Wenger pondered. "And what if the teams from smaller countries go through the qualifiers and reach the group stage? It would simply lead to less interest in the tournament."
"I hope that the tournament will be well organized and the best teams will compete against each other," the strategist hoped. "People have always wanted and will want to see matches like 'Real' vs. 'Arsenal' or 'Milan' vs. 'Bayern.' That will never change."
This season, four English, three Italian, and three Spanish teams made it to the round of sixteen in the Champions League.
