By Andrew Warshaw
September 1 – UEFA look set to change the format for seeding clubs in the Champions League to avoid the totally unsatisfactory situation of domestic champions being ranked lower than other clubs from the same country.
Expected to start next season following agreement by UEFA’s club competitions committee, the top eight seeds will in future be the league winners of the strongest nations plus the holders of the Champions League.
This season, Arsenal, who finished fourth in the Premier League, are among the top seeds whereas defending English champions Manchester City are ranked among the second group.
The new system would also, crucially, prevent domestic champions being drawn in the same group such as Group A this season where the champions of Italy (Juventus), Spain (Atletico Madrid), the Netherlands (Ajax) and Sweden (Malmo) are all lumped together much to the annoyance of their representatives last week in Monaco.
The new plan needs approval from the UEFA executive committee – whose next meeting is on September 18 – but should be in place by next season.
The current format for seeding is based on the co-efficient system, whereby clubs’ previous Champions League performances and the ranking of their domestic league is taken into account.
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