Champions League knockout stages set to change forever thanks to Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal
FOOTBALL bosses have focused on the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal over the planning for next season’s new-look Champions League.
The single-league format features 36 clubs, with the top eight then gaining direct entry to the last-16 stage.
Sides that place from ninth to 24th will have play-offs — with the eight winners also going through to the first knockout stage.
In planning meetings over the last few years, Uefa chiefs spoke at length about the tennis finals between Nadal and Federer.
They discussed how they were kept apart by seeding until the end, of course, Novak Djokovic was also there.
So, the teams who finish first and second in the new-style league after eight games will be seeded and not be able to play each other until the final.
And that means for the last-16, there will be a structured route to the final — similar to tennis tournaments — to plot potential clashes.
As a result, there will be no quarter-final or semi-final draws as the route will already be planned.
And it is also good that there will be no teams in next season’s Champions League dropping into the Europa League, as this silly bonus for failing clubs has been scrapped.
Meanwhile, Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti has revealed a fully manual draw is no longer possible in the new format as it could take four hours to complete and 900 balls would be needed.
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Therefore, a “hybrid” draw will be used that incorporates manually pulling teams out the hat and automated elements to speed up the process.
Uefa insist any sections that are computerised will be independently monitored to ensure draws are not rigged.
The exact system that will be used has not yet been revealed.