The European competitions are about to get going againplaceholder image
The European competitions are about to get going again | Getty Images
UEFA have tweaked their squad rules for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
UEFA have confirmed a rule change that will offer hope to some of the fringe players playing at Arsenal, Chelsea Tottenham and Crystal Palace. All four clubs have European campaigns ahead of them this season, with the European campaign kicking off next Tuesday.
Ahead of the group phases kicking off in the Champions League, which includes the big three London clubs, and the Conference League, which includes Palace, all four clubs have submitted their A and B squads, with the managers having to decide which players are eligible to play during the group phase.
The squads are composed of a List A, which is made up of up to 25 senior players, a list that must include eight or more locally trained players, while List B is made up of young and locally-trained players.
Players who do not make the initial list must wait until the group phase finished, with clubs able to re-submit new lists heading into the knockout phases of the respective competitions. Among the headline-making omissions from this season’s group phase omissions were Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, who is not likely to return from injury until November time, and Tottenham’s Mathys Tel, who has admitted he feels hard done by to miss out.
But there is now a slither of hope for player such as Jesus and Tel, with UEFA confirming a rule change that will allow clubs to adjust their squad under certain circumstances.
UEFA change squad rules
UEFA have now confirmed that clubs will be able to replace a player in their 25-man squad with a new player in the case of a serious injury or illness that will keep a player currently in the 25 out long-term. The ‘long-term’ language is not specifically defined, but it likely relates to players who suffer injuries that end or threaten to end their season, such as the Jesus injury last season.
In their statement on Friday, it was also confirmed that Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano will host the 2027 Champions League final. Meanwhile, UEFA also announced it would delay a decision for domestic games to be played abroad after the RFEF (Spanish football federation) submitted a request for a Barcelona vs Villarreal fixture in December to be played in Miami after they themselves approved a request from the clubs.
UEFA say the decision will come after in-depth consultation with fans, clubs and stakeholders. Any UEFA ruling on games being played abroad would cover all of the European leagues, and so it’s one they want to get right before other leagues step up requests to play games elsewhere, with Serie A also having previously proposed that an Inter Milan vs Como game be played in Perth, Australia.
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