SPORTS
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says a 'final four' Champions League format could be on the way
Baku, February 7, AZERTAC
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says that a Champions League 'final four' format could be part of changes to the competition from 2025, according to Eurosport.
Ceferin revealed that he has consulted various club presidents around Europe to get consensus - including Paris Saint-Germain's Nasser Al-Khelaifi - after piloting a 'final eight' event in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
It is clear Ceferin wants the finale of the competition to generate more buzz, and name-dropped the NFL as a brand that could be emulated.
Speaking to French outlet Le Journal Du Dimanche, Ceferin said: "We haven't yet discussed this [the final four proposals] properly because of the pandemic, which has taken up our day-to-day focus.
"But my opinion is that it would be great.
"It should be more competitive and more interesting for the fans.
"I have discussed it with some club presidents, such as Al-Khelaifi, and they are in agreement.
"It's a simple equation to solve - we would just need to compensate clubs for the revenue they would lose from hosting the semi-final matches. That is possible.
"It would come in for the 2024-25 season at the earliest. But I doubt it could be done that quickly."