UEFA competitions director rejects idea for new competition

pulse 14:40 - 23 March 2017

UEFA deputy secretary general Giorgio Marchetti waits to hold the draw for the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League football tournament in Nyon on February 24, 2017

The idea of a rival tournament to UEFA competitions has been frequently touted by big clubs.

UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti on Thursday rejected the idea of a European Super League made up of the continents top clubs, but said the format of the Champions League could evolve.

"If the Super League is a competition for an elite, closed, then it's not our competition," said Marchetti on the sidelines of a football congress organised at Estoril, near Lisbon.

Marchetti said that the European competitions and notably the elite Champions League"must change to remain the biggest club competitions in the world".

The Italian insisted however that "after several analyses we can say that for the 2018-2021 cycle the format will not change".

The idea of a Super League, a rival tournament to UEFA competitions, has been frequently touted by big clubs such as Bayern Munich and its president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.