UEFA President A. Čeferinas - on the congested match schedule and the Champions League beyond Europe's borders

2024-09-27 17:38 © Reuters

The UEFA president, Aleksander Čeferin, is calm about one thing – there cannot be another match in the calendar; the new Champions League format has reached its maximum.

"I believe that the schedule cannot accommodate another match, but now there is such a situation. All clubs want to win one from European competitions,” the Slovenian said on Sky News.

He also spoke about the difficulties from the clubs’ and players’ sides, somewhat defending the new Champions League format: "The point is that on one hand we have clubs that can no longer afford to pay players and coaches so much. Financial difficulties are arising.

On the other hand, we have players who, of course, do not want to play more matches, but those new matches will be interesting; everyone will benefit from that.”

Indeed, during the interview, A. Čeferin denied one thing – the Champions League will not be played outside Europe: "We do not plan to hold Champions League matches outside Europe. This is not about changes to the system. It revolves around the fact that the Champions League is a European tournament. Fans deserve to watch the matches in Europe.”

The UEFA president did not want to discuss the Club World Cup, which will take place after this season and further disrupt the players' rest.