European Leagues critical of proposed Champions League reforms

The European Leagues has said plans to revamp the Champions League should be started from scratch as the current proposals only benefit "a few rich and dominant clubs".

The Premier League has come out against plans to expand the group stage of the tournament, with the French Football League and German Football League this week following suit.

The European Clubs Association, which is led by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, is reportedly keen to introduce changes that would see teams play as many as 14 group matches.

But the European Leagues is strongly against such proposals. 

"Following last week's Club Advisory Meeting in Madrid with over 240 European clubs and the meeting between the UEFA Executive Committee and the European Leagues board of directors in Nyon, the European Leagues retain the strong opinion that the presented proposal for reforming the European Club Competitions benefits just a few rich and dominant clubs but damages the leagues and the great majority of clubs playing in the domestic competitions," a statement from the body said.

"The European Leagues are working on changes which contribute to the long-term sporting and financial sustainability of both European and domestic club competitions.

"In this, the Leagues believe that it is imperative for UEFA to start building the changes in the UEFA club competitions project from scratch. In this respect, UEFA must come to an agreement with the European Leagues and the other stakeholders to safeguard the interests of all professional football clubs in Europe.

"The European Leagues together with the National Associations are responsible for the development of professional football in their own countries and must work together in this respect."