Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA’s president, had been given little choice but to make the concession. Every time the Champions League television rights are due for renegotiation, the elite clubs of England, Spain, Italy and Germany threaten to walk away from the competition and set up their own tournament unless they are given a greater slice of the broadcast revenue and more special treatment. This was the latest demand.
Ceferin was clear, though, that this was his line in the sand: He would go no further, whatever the next threat. He would not — as the major leagues had suggested — reduce the competition to 24 teams. UEFA, he felt, had already succumbed enough.
The country that benefited most, without question, was Italy. Serie A, under the competition’s previous provisions, had just three places, full stop, one of which was dependent on a successful qualifier. Now, Juventus, A.S. Roma, Napoli and Internazionale would all be parachuted straight into the group stage.
It is hard to argue that it has entirely earned that status. England sent four teams to the last 16; Germany and Spain three apiece. Italy has only two: Juventus and Roma.
There are mitigating circumstances. Napoli can rightly feel that the draw for the group stage was unkind, pairing Carlo Ancelotti’s team with both P.S.G. and Liverpool; Inter, seeded in the lowest tier of teams, was always likely to face an uphill struggle.
And the margins of failure were fine, too. It is not difficult to imagine a world in which four Italian teams made it, and only two from England: Napoli would have qualified at Liverpool’s expense had Arkadiusz Milik managed to evade the sprawling limbs of goalkeeper Alisson Becker in the dying seconds at Anfield; a single goal — either for Inter or Barcelona — would have sent Inter through, rather than Tottenham.
It is still, though, an unfortunately timed blow for Serie A. Ceferin may see it differently, of course. Perhaps the major nations should have to earn special dispensation, rather than simply having it handed to them.
Source : NYtimes
