Back in the day it used to be that only the Champions could represent their nation in the top European competition, the European Cup. It was a competition reserved for the best of the best. Now, the Premier League are planning on introducing a new system where the 7th placed team could qualify for the final qualifying stage of the UEFA Champions League in place of the club who finished in 4th spot.
Bill Shankly's famous quote of, "First is first, second is nowhere" has effectively been throw out of the window already however offering the possiblity of Champions League football to a 7th placed team is way too far.
The Premier League have proposed a system where the teams placed 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th would contest a play off at the end of the season to determine who is entered into the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League, only one stage away from the prestigious, and money spinning, group stages. The Play offs would consist of two semi finals, with 4th playing 7th and 5th playing 6th, and a final encounter. All of these games would be played at the FA's Wembley stadium in a bid to pay for the huge construction costs it took to create the home of the England national side.
This bizarre Play off system for 4th place will not be introduced this year, and is unlikely to be brought in for at least another 3 years because these matches are obviously not included in Sky's current TV deal. Games of such importance would be high on Sky's list of priorities, and the Premier League will be looking to glean as much cash as they can out of them, so the Premier League will have to wait another 3 years before this insane system could be introduced.
The supporters of this proposal say that it would bring more excitement into the game. While this is true, it doesn't compensate for the fact that the Play offs are an unfair system. Let's say that Liverpool finished in 4th place, 20 points ahead of a Fulham, West Ham or a Birmingham in 7th spot, but then lose out on Champions League Qualification because of a poor referring decision, an enormous amout of injuries or just plain bad luck. This would be incredibly unfair, especially considering the financial consequences of failing to qualify for the Champions League.
The only reason England has 4 places for their teams in the Champions League is because of our enviable record in the tournment in recent years. Their has been an English team in every single Champions League final in the last 5 years, since Liverpool won the competiton for the 5th time in Istanbul, on an unforgettable night.
This dominance from English clubs has increased the quota of English clubs qualifying for the Champions League to 4. However, if 5th, 6th and 7th place teams continually gain entry into the Champions League then England's coefficient will almost certainly lower, which could lead to UEFA deciding that only 3, or even 2, English teams are allowed into the tournament. This is likely as the lesser teams who finish 7th will not be able to compete with the likes of AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.
It would be disastrous for English football, not just Liverpool, as it would fail to take into account the whole of a season, and single matches, that could be determined by a bad referring decision or bad luck, would have around £30 million riding on them, creating tension and defensive play in an attempt not to lose the game, rather than to go out and win it.
This is just another attempt to screw money out of Sky and, more importantly, the fans, and must not be brought in if we are to compete at the top level of European football over the coming years.
YNWA
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