- Reuters
Shanghai handed Asian Champions League berth as Shandong expulsion confirmed
Former Chinese champions Shanghai SIPG have earned a late call-up to the 2021 Asian Champions League after the Asian Football Confederation confirmed the expulsion of Shandong Luneng from the latest edition of the continental club championship. Shanghai, winners of the Chinese Super League in 2018 and semi-finalists in the Asian Champions League a year earlier, finished fourth in last year’s domestic championship to initially miss out on qualifying for the competition. However, Shandong, who had booked their berth in the competition by winning last year’s Chinese FA Cup, had their licence to play revoked by the AFC earlier this month due to “overdue payables”.
ReutersMediaset secures rights for 121 Champions League matches per season to 2024
Italy's top commercial broadcaster Mediaset has won non-exclusive rights to broadcast 121 Champions League soccer matches per season in the three years to 2024, the Italian broadcaster said in a statement on Thursday. In addition to 17 matches per season to be aired on its free-to-air channels on Tuesdays, the Italian broadcaster secured rights to screen 104 UEFA Champions League matches on its pay streaming platform.
ReutersProposed Champions League changes dilute 'sporting merit': Wenger
UEFA's plans would see a "single table" with 36 teams replace the current group stage format, which features eight groups of four. "The model that is proposed for the modern Champions League, I don't like it at all," Wenger, now FIFA's head of global development, told BeIN Sports. Europe's top leagues, including the Premier League, want UEFA to reconsider the plans amid concerns over fixture congestion.
ReutersLeagues tell UEFA to think again over Champions League reform
Europe's top leagues, including the Premier League, want UEFA to think again about their proposed changes to the Champions League, amidst concerns over congestion from the 100 extra matches. The European Leagues body, which represents the domestic championships, wants to see changes to the proposals to ensure greater access to clubs from smaller leagues and has expressed concern over the increased number of games. UEFA's plans will see the group stage transformed into a 'single table' format instead of the current eight groups of four teams and with 36 teams rather than 32 involved.