Under the play-off proposal Fulham – who finished seventh in 2009 – would have had a chance of Champions League football. Photograph: Kieran Doherty/Reuters
The Premier League is considering introducing a play-off system to determine the fourth club to qualify for the following season's European Champions League.
Currently the club which finishes fourth goes through but the new proposal would mean a play-off between the clubs finishing fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. The intention is to inject more competition into a league in which qualification has for years remained in the hands of the same four clubs.
Premier League sources have confirmed that the play-off proposal was presented at the most recent meeting of all clubs, on 4 February, and the league's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, was authorised to return with further details in April.
It is understood that the idea was enthusiastically supported by all clubs – except the so-called big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Scudamore, and the league's secretary, Mike Foster, will examine the practicalities of how a play-off system could work: whether it should take the form of a home-and-away knockout system, similar to that in the Football League, or incorporate seeding. They will also look into when matches could be fitted into a crowded fixture calendar before making recommendations.
The idea was presented as part of the Premier League's strategic review of its format and operations and springs from two particular motivations. The first is to crack the problem of England's top league becoming less open and competitive, with the richest clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, having strengthened their hold on the top four places over several years. One league source said it was an odd twist that the idea has been raised now, in a season when Liverpool's claim to the fourth place is being seriously challenged.
The response among clubs outside the top four is understood to have been positive, with some believing that a play-off system would create more competitive matches and give more clubs a prize to challenge for. Most clubs now feel they have no chance of attaining fourth place but almost the whole Premier League could be brought into a competition to finish seventh and make it to the play-offs. The medium-sized clubs, which increasingly aspire to break the cartel, are said to have been enthusiastic, seeing play-offs as a great opportunity.
The big four, who have been qualifying on merit at the end of each season and reaping the footballing and financial rewards of Champions League participation are understood to have been less keen. Self-interest is clearly a factor, with those clubs concerned about protecting their own advantages. However, there is also a feeling that the league should be more sophisticated about addressing its major challenges, particularly the financial ones, rather than incorpor-ating an awkward play-off system for a prize as ostensibly moderate as fourth place.
The other motivation for the play-offs is a waning of the proposal for an international round of matches, dubbed "Game 39", which was widely criticised for lacking coherence and being territorially expansionist. The play-offs would mean extra matches, which would be sold to pay-television and so generate more money for all clubs.
The consistent qualification of the same four clubs, widely seen as stifling competition, is not replicated across Europe. The Premier League largely blames the Uefa Champions League money, distributed to participating clubs, for entrenching the big four's financial power. Uefa, however, points out that Champions League income represents a small part, 8–13%, of Manchester United's, Chelsea's, Arsenal's and Liverpool's total turnover. Most of the big clubs' money is made in this country; Premier League television income is relatively evenly distributed but United, Chelsea and Arsenal in particular make much more than their nearest rivals from commercial activities and match-day revenues in the Premier League.
The Dutch league tried a play-off system for the second Champions League qualification place but abandoned it after the 2007-08 season, when FC Twente Enschede beat Ajax 2-1. The issues in Holland were the risk of crowd trouble at such high-stakes matches and a perception that the play-offs were one-sided.
In the Premier League there is some confidence that neither of those would present major problems. As a means of encouraging competition, opportunities and increasing income, the play-off proposal already seems to have enough support to suggest it could gain the necessary 14-6 majority to be implemented.
Reckon it would work?
Would be pee'ed off if you was an Arsenal/Liverpool fan but would certainly make end of the season interesting...
Comments
Like they give a shit about anyone other than their precious lttle Sky 4.
Publicity stunt.
1. Opens up CL to more clubs potentially (a major criticism from fans and therefore damaging to the "product"
2. Guaranteed money spinner (3 extra games on tv, with big viewing figures, sky will wet themselves)
3. Wembley (the fa desperately need as many events there as possible to pay for the place, so all 3 games being at wembley would make the fa wet themselves)
4. Could be some cracking games in theory
I reckon Liverpool may change their mind on this issue should Man City finish 4th.
Nail on head!
1st in the prem, winner of both the FA Cup and League cup and the runner up in the prem gets the qualifying round place.
After all, it is called the Champions league!
Could be spot on there, hadn't thought about that angle, would certainly give the PL the chance to have the game(s) abroad without anybody losing a home game, could be a winner from that point of view
http://football365.com/mailbox/story/0,17033,8744_5953897,00.html
would give mid table something to go for....
Teams like Fulham (or us when we finished 7th) are hardly equipped to compete meaningfully in Champions League, so will either disregard it or have to spend significantly to make their squad strong enough to compete i.e. put themselves at even greater financial risk if they get relegated in the following few seasons.
Plus it is the "Champions" league, it's a joke enough that 4th qualifies. Letting 7th in the league have the scope to qualify is a bit ridiculous & a massive insult to the lesser leagues in Europe whose Champions have to go through qualifying.
there are loads of options, I like it...