It may not be long before Liverpool play Champions League games outside of Europe, with a report on Monday claiming executives behind some of the competition’s top clubs are in favor of the move.
The Reds have a long and illustrious history in the European Cup, having been crowned champions on six separate occasions and reaching the final of last year’s competition.
Last year, there was an attempt to change the landscape of football on the continent with the introduction of a European Super League, a concept that ultimately fell through due to widespread protests.
Unsurprisingly, that hasn’t stopped the higher-ups from making further attempts to shake up the Champions League.
His latest plan? Get European football out of Europe.
This is stated by Athletic, which ensures that it is a topic that will be discussed at the last meeting of the UEFA executive committee, before the general assembly of the European Club Association (ECA) in Istanbul this week.
The report claims that “some of the most powerful club executives in European football” are behind the move, to “make meaningful games more accessible to the clubs’ global fanbases”.
Matches are reportedly set to take place in major markets such as the US, China or the Middle East, with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi among those supporting.
For now, it remains just an idea, and the proposed changes are likely to face further opposition from supporters.
It is also reported that matches outside of Europe would initially be group games, rather than matches in the later stages of the competition.
UEFA is already said to be mulling over an ‘Opening Tournament’ concept that would see four teams – the previous season’s Champions League winners and three other leading teams – go head-to-head at the start of each season.
What would all this mean for Liverpool? More travel and potentially more games. Therefore, you would be surprised if Jurgen Klopp is in favor of any of these proposals.
One only has to look at his reaction to Todd Boehly’s idea of ​​a Premier League ‘All-Star Game’ to see how the Liverpool boss feels about including even more games on the football calendar.
Making games more accessible to fans outside of Europe is understandable, but is relocating Champions League matches really the way to go?
