The first campaign of the restructured Champions League is now done and dusted: Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a record-breaking 5-0 victory over Inter Milan – but next season’s iteration will look a lot different after Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal made a complaint in April.
Arteta’s side – alongside their semi-final opponents Luis Enrique’s PSG, Barcelona and Inter Milan – were among the final four sides left at Europe’s top table. It was the former who reigned supreme, however, after a routine win in Munich, Germany.
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Now, after the concluding game of the 2024/25 campaign, there’s a lay-off period as clubs across the globe – and more specifically, Europe – prepare for football to return. And, per reports, the Champions League is subject to changes.
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Changes were decided in a recent UEFA meeting after Arsenal complaints
As mentioned, Arsenal – who remain one of the biggest clubs to never win the Champions League – filed a complaint to UEFA, the competition’s organisers, in mid-April. They were frustrated that, irrespective of where they finished in the league phase, who played the first leg at home was randomly drawn.
In the case of the Gunners, they were made to travel to Spain for the second leg of their quarter-final with Real Madrid, who finished 11th this season, and the same occurred in the two-legged semi-final clash against PSG, who finished 15th.
In 2024/25, the inaugural year of the new-look format, a team’s position in the league phase determined their seeding for the play-off round. Teams that finished in the top eight got a bye into the Round of 16, whereas the play-off winners were forced to play an additional match.
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Despite overthrowing the reigning champions, Los Blancos, Arteta – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – and his staff voiced their opinion over the situation after being aggrieved that his side were not rewarded for their favourable position in the league phase.
Their complains, however, have not fallen on deaf ears and UEFA have listened to their displeasure, German publication Bild, via The Mirror, have reported, as the governing body have all-but decided on a change to how teams are drawn in knockout ties.
According to the report, the UEFA Club Competitions Committee met on Friday to discuss all manner of potential changes to next season’s campaign, and they reportedly agreed on the change before the recent final. Now, final approval is now expected.
In the aforementioned meeting, not only was how teams were drawn into knockout rounds, but other changes – including skipping extra-time and proceeding directly to a penalty shootout instead – were also considered. Preventing intra-league encounters, too, was also investigated.