La Liga President Tebas Calls for Reduction in Big European League Representation in Champions League

La Liga President Javier Tebas has declared that the fourth Champions League place for Spanish sides has not improved the competition in his eyes, advocating for a different model of competition.

Tebas was speaking to de Telegraaf (via ED) in the Netherlands, after making statements on the newly formed Union of European Clubs, and declared that football should look back towards an old model of the Champions League, even if it comes at the expense of his own league.

“There is a new Champions League model in 2024, but work should start on another type of model, a model that appeals more to the origins of a European tournament of national champions, with champions from all corners of Europe. I represent LaLiga, but a fourth Spanish club is not an improvement for the Champions League.”

At the beginning of the European Cup era, it was formerly only champions of European leagues that would compete, but since that time, the competition has gradually expanded over the last 60 years until this point. Tebas highlighted the financial imbalance it creates.

“Clubs that play in European competition earn so much income that there is a very large gap with the rest of the clubs in their own country. And it was wrong that in 2016 more Champions League places were decided for clubs from the big leagues. I myself was against four clubs from Spain going to the Champions League from the beginning. Like four clubs from the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Serie A, at the expense of teams from smaller leagues.”

He also took the opportunity to again warn of the danger of the formation of the superleague.

“They would be destroyed sportingly and economically. Serie A, the Bundesliga, LaLiga, the Eredivisie… If your national championship doesn’t give you the opportunity to qualify to play in Europe, then your national competition becomes much less interesting. And that is precisely what we have built for many decades: the combination of national competitions and European competitions together is a model of success.”

While perhaps the idea makes some sense, Tebas’ comments are unlikely to go down well with the upper class in La Liga. Real Madrid and Barcelona already have financial advantages, and this change would restrict that money to those clubs and perhaps Atletico Madrid at times, with the likes of Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Villarreal unable to compete against the elite sides in Europe, and due to the finances, the top sides in their own division. Ultimately this is unlikely to happen at any point soon, but it is food for thought as the Champions League continues to grow.