Jurgen Klopp made clear his disappointment with the proposed new Champions League format in his pre-match presser, suggesting that the governing bodies involved were entirely motivated by the finances behind such changes.
Under the new proposals, the current 32-side format would be ditched in favour of a 36-team league with clubs adding four more games onto their schedules.
“I’m not naive, I know that things will be discussed, I’ve no problem with that,” the German said.
“We all wanted to have the Super League way, but in the same moment it happened that the new Champions League is out there.
“Who read this concept properly and says ‘oh that’s perfect’ and who tells me now that’s not about money? It’s a joke!
“I said before with the Nations League with more games, I said before when FIFA wanted to have a Club World Cup – they don’t ask, they just introduce it.
“What’s the reason for that? Money.”
Given how condensed fixtures lists this term have made life particularly difficult for the side, it’s certainly understandable why Klopp feels so aggrieved by the potential changes.
With managers and players struggling to handle the workload, whilst simultaneously being accused of disrespecting meaningless domestic cup competitions (in the interests of protecting player fitness), increasing the fixture burden is far from a viable solution.
It’s hard not to see UEFA being anything less than a lesser evil compared to the option of the European Super League, particularly considering that the latest changes proferred appear to be entirely motivated by financial concerns.
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