European football clubs are considering new rules that would ban Champions League sides from selling each other players.
The extraordinary idea was raised by Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of the European Clubs Association, following the organisation’s 25th General Assembly.
Agnelli, who is also the chairman of Juventus, said the scheme could help create a more competitive balance in European football.
Champions League teams would not be able to buy each others’ players under rules discussed by Europe’s top clubs according to Andrea Agnelli of the European Clubs Association
Answering a question following the ECA meeting from a German journalist about salary caps, Agnelli talked about finding alternative ways to secure financial fair play, within football.
‘Clubs qualifying to specific tiers in international competitions would not be allowed to buy each other’s players,’ he suggested.
‘That would improve indirect solidarity towards other clubs. So, no triple figure transfers among Champions League participating clubs. These are elements we are discussing.’
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If a ban was already in place it would have precluded some of the biggest transfers in recent history.
Among those deals that would not have been done, would be Neymar’s £198 million move from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain in 2017, or Kylian Mbappe’s transfer from Monaco to Paris for £165 million a year later, after a loan spell at the Parc des Princes.
Other transfers that would have fallen foul of the ban would be Paul Pogba’s 2016 switch from Juventus to Manchester United for £89 million and Antoine Griezmann’s 2019 transfer from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona for £108 million.
Kylian Mbappe moved from Monaco to Paris Saint Germain for £165 million in 2018
Neymar made the switch from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain in 2017 for £198 million
The need to maintain competitive balance in European football has been in sharp focus with negotiations over an enlarged Champions League at an advanced stage, as well as new proposals for a European Super League emerging last year.
Much criticism has been made of the fact that Europe’s largest clubs are becoming wealthier and the gap between them and the rest in terms of spending power and ability to attract top talent has grown wider.
Proposals to expand the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams, introduce the so-called Swiss model with 10 matches in the group phase, with protected entry for some of the largest clubs, has heightened fears of the gap becoming even greater.
European Leagues president Lars-Christer Olsson has highlighted competitive balance
The European Leagues, a representative body, which includes the Premier League, has suggested that a supersized Champions League, which could feature an additional 100 matches, would generate more money than the current model, but steal broadcast revenue away from domestic competition.
The European Leagues fear that as a result, those clubs which regularly feature in the Champions League would simply grow ever wealthier and become untouchable.
The idea raised by Agnelli would mean the biggest clubs would have to look for talent from lower tiers, therefore the wealth from the top end of the game would be shared around in transfer fees.
UEFA has put forward plans to expand the Champions League from 2024 from 32 to 36 teams
It is not the only idea under consideration. Agnelli said the Covid crisis had placed clubs under financial pressure and looking at creative ways to implement cost control was important.
Meanwhile, Agnelli said that he thought agreement on the reformed Champions League was imminent.
He revealed that the final sticking point was how the four extra spots in the competition, which is expected to increase from 32 to 36 teams from 2024, will be allocated.
The debate is whether those spots should go to champions, or if they should be allocated shared using UEFA rankings based on past success.
‘I would truly hope everything would be done in the next couple of weeks,’ Agnelli told journalists today, following the 25th General Assembly of the ECA.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and Andrea Agnelli, chairman of the European Clubs Association, are key players in the reform of the Champions League
‘There are details that have to be addressed – one of them being access to the competition. I would say in a couple of weeks it should be pretty much sorted.’
Agnelli said his focus had been to reach agreement on the new Champions League and he had not participated in conversations about the even more contraversial European Super League.
The £4.6 billion league, which is believed to be driven by Europe’s biggest clubs, including, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Manchester United, would create a virtually closed-shop competition of 20 clubs, with 15 founder members having guaranteed participation.
UEFA is committed to reforming the Champions League to create more matches and revenue
Earlier, Uefa General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti, opened the general assembly by blasting the idea of a super league.
‘We realise that unity can easily be dissolved when insidious ideas are pursued under the pretence of survival, growth or business needs,’ the Sun reported him as saying.
‘Unfortunately, the rest of football, about 99 per cent of it, would not be invited to enjoy this new super union.
‘Surviving this affliction is not just about quick fixes or effective remedies that fit the wealthiest and the privileged few but taking care of everybody, the whole of football, the big and the small, the weak and the strong.’
He added: ‘Our combined ideas and efforts have produced the greatest revamp in club competition formats in decades.
‘The reforms will provide renewed strength and unprecedented excitement going forward.
‘With the project we have in mind, Europe’s premier club competition post 2024 will be even more compelling and ready to face a new landscape of fans and viewers.’