sortiwa
Discussions to scrap extra time from Champions League knockout rounds are gathering speed within Uefa in what would be a new step to reduce the number of minutes played by top clubs.
The Guardian understands the topic of taking ties in Uefa’s club competitions straight to penalties is being given serious consideration, although a change midway through this television rights cycle, which runs until 2027, is unlikely.
Extra time has long been a point of contention among European football’s stakeholders, with some players’ unions arguing strongly that its abolition would ease strains on a bulging calendar. The expanded group stage for the Champions League, with each team playing a minimum of eight games, has hardly helped matters, while 12 European teams are playing in an expanded Fifa Club World Cup in the US this summer.
Most of the concessions made to elite sides’ expanding fixture lists have so far come in the form of cuts to domestic competitions, such as the controversial shelving of FA Cup replays in England.
Cutting the additional 30 minutes from two-legged ties would go a small way towards alleviating the problems caused by late-season fixture congestion. It could also be popular among clubs that undergo the gruelling regimen of qualifying rounds in July and August.
Underdogs who feel the pace of an added period against clubs with better-stocked squads would sense a fairer playing field. There may also be some appeal to broadcasters that would see less risk of an unpredicted dent in their schedules and perhaps relish the opportunity to cut straight to the shorter-form drama of spot-kicks.
after newsletter promotion
Last season only three Champions League ties from the round of 16 onwards went into extra time, while none at all required an additional period in 2022-23. Four ties in the 2023-24 Europa League went the distance, down from six the season before.
Uefa’s stance when contacted by the Guardian was that until now the issue has been raised informally, with no definitive proposal tabled. Any change would have to be ratified by Uefa’s executive committee, whose last major change to the substance of club competition ties came when the away goals rule was thrown out in 2021.
Some precedent for the abolition of extra time was set when Uefa removed it from Super Cups with effect from 2023.
Source link