All three competitions were played as single elimination, and unseeded, knock-out tournaments.
The vehicle of change was the European Cup. UEFA had come under intense pressure from the mid to late 1980s from the continents biggest clubs who were seeking greater revenues than clubs in traditionally smaller European nations and were threatening to break away and form a European Super League. As a result, UEFA introduced an 8-team group stage with effect from 1991/92, replacing the quarter-final and semi- final stages. The winner of each group played each other in the European Cup Final. From 1992/93, the new group stage had a new name- the UEFA Champions League, coincidentally the same season the Premier League replaced the Football League Division One in English football.
However, the biggest clubs were still not happy. The new European Cup format was neither fish nor fowl. The champions of the big nations still had to run the gauntlet of unseeded knock-out games in the first two rounds of the new format before reaching the lucrative Champions League stage and, horror of horrors, possibly played against each other. Many fans of European football felt the new later stage group format was dull and unexciting. The Champions League pleased nobody.
Another major problem was the number of dead rubber group games at what was, and still is, the traditional business end of the season. Crucially, the contract with Europe's public service media TV providers, through the European Broadcasting Union, was due to expire with effect from 1994/95. In order to make the competition more appealing to satellite and pay per view TV providers across the continent, and more lucrative for the clubs and themselves of course, UEFA decided to introduce a new radical European Cup format for season 1994/95. This new format replicated the new European Championship format for Euro 96 in England.
From August 1994, the European Cup became officially known as the UEFA Champions League from start to finish. The competition proper would begin with a pre- Christmas 16 team group stage, split into four groups of four. The top two clubs in each group progressed to the post- Christmas knockout stage, beginning with the quarter finals in early March.
Controversially, UEFA also decided to give byes to the title holders and domestic champions of the top nations 1-7, all of whom started the competition in the group stage. The remaining eight clubs came from the winners of an August qualifying round of 16 played by the champions of nations 8-23 (or 9-24) using an early form of coefficient. For the first time and perhaps disgracefully, the champions of smaller nations 23 or 24 to 48 were shut out of the European Cup/ Champions League. Instead they entered the UEFA Cup. The Cup Winners' Cup remained unchanged.
UEFA probably initially believed they had squared the circle and addressed the concerns of all parties. The biggest clubs received byes to the group stage and were seeded, giving them the best possible chance of reaching the knockout stage against the other big clubs. The satellite TV companies were willing to pay big money for rights to this new format while also satisfying the millions of paying TV viewers by returning to the traditional end of season knock-out games played by many of the champions of Europe's biggest nations. Everyone was a winner, so it seemed anyway.
However, by 1996 the biggest clubs planned a radical new European Super League, including an additional knock-out cup competition for its members. It was clear that the format change to and the clever marketing of the Champions League had created something of a commercial juggernaut to the detriment of the other two more traditional competitions, particularly the Cup Winners’ Cup. Rather than placate the burgeoning super clubs, UEFA had fed a crocodile and with effect from 1997/98, the Champions League was expanded to include the 8 runners-up from nations 1-8. This was when the clear and definitive break from the old European Cup tradition happened.
By 99/00, the competition was further expanded to include the top four finishing teams from the biggest nations, starting with a 32-team group stage. The modern Champions League was born - a European super league by the backdoor. The old European Cup, founded by the sporting ideal to crown a European club champion- the Champion of Champions- was dead, killed off in favour of commercial necessity. The quality of the UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup was also severely hallowed out with the Cup Winners' Cup becoming a bit of an anachronistic farce as the turn of the century approached. By 1999, the competition was disbanded and combined with an expanded UEFA Cup, itself a pale imitation of its 1970s and 1980s heyday.
But What if
UEFA reject Super clubs in top 5 league proposal to expanded 8 runner-ups and UEFA faced the continent's biggest clubs down and buried the ESL for a few generations, at least, and retained the European club competition formats as they were in 1996/97, with some minor practical adjustments
so anyways what does Champions League will be look like for 1997 until this year and who will be winner the champions league for 1997 until this year
and what Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Cup would look like in modern times
The vehicle of change was the European Cup. UEFA had come under intense pressure from the mid to late 1980s from the continents biggest clubs who were seeking greater revenues than clubs in traditionally smaller European nations and were threatening to break away and form a European Super League. As a result, UEFA introduced an 8-team group stage with effect from 1991/92, replacing the quarter-final and semi- final stages. The winner of each group played each other in the European Cup Final. From 1992/93, the new group stage had a new name- the UEFA Champions League, coincidentally the same season the Premier League replaced the Football League Division One in English football.
However, the biggest clubs were still not happy. The new European Cup format was neither fish nor fowl. The champions of the big nations still had to run the gauntlet of unseeded knock-out games in the first two rounds of the new format before reaching the lucrative Champions League stage and, horror of horrors, possibly played against each other. Many fans of European football felt the new later stage group format was dull and unexciting. The Champions League pleased nobody.
Another major problem was the number of dead rubber group games at what was, and still is, the traditional business end of the season. Crucially, the contract with Europe's public service media TV providers, through the European Broadcasting Union, was due to expire with effect from 1994/95. In order to make the competition more appealing to satellite and pay per view TV providers across the continent, and more lucrative for the clubs and themselves of course, UEFA decided to introduce a new radical European Cup format for season 1994/95. This new format replicated the new European Championship format for Euro 96 in England.
From August 1994, the European Cup became officially known as the UEFA Champions League from start to finish. The competition proper would begin with a pre- Christmas 16 team group stage, split into four groups of four. The top two clubs in each group progressed to the post- Christmas knockout stage, beginning with the quarter finals in early March.
Controversially, UEFA also decided to give byes to the title holders and domestic champions of the top nations 1-7, all of whom started the competition in the group stage. The remaining eight clubs came from the winners of an August qualifying round of 16 played by the champions of nations 8-23 (or 9-24) using an early form of coefficient. For the first time and perhaps disgracefully, the champions of smaller nations 23 or 24 to 48 were shut out of the European Cup/ Champions League. Instead they entered the UEFA Cup. The Cup Winners' Cup remained unchanged.
UEFA probably initially believed they had squared the circle and addressed the concerns of all parties. The biggest clubs received byes to the group stage and were seeded, giving them the best possible chance of reaching the knockout stage against the other big clubs. The satellite TV companies were willing to pay big money for rights to this new format while also satisfying the millions of paying TV viewers by returning to the traditional end of season knock-out games played by many of the champions of Europe's biggest nations. Everyone was a winner, so it seemed anyway.
However, by 1996 the biggest clubs planned a radical new European Super League, including an additional knock-out cup competition for its members. It was clear that the format change to and the clever marketing of the Champions League had created something of a commercial juggernaut to the detriment of the other two more traditional competitions, particularly the Cup Winners’ Cup. Rather than placate the burgeoning super clubs, UEFA had fed a crocodile and with effect from 1997/98, the Champions League was expanded to include the 8 runners-up from nations 1-8. This was when the clear and definitive break from the old European Cup tradition happened.
By 99/00, the competition was further expanded to include the top four finishing teams from the biggest nations, starting with a 32-team group stage. The modern Champions League was born - a European super league by the backdoor. The old European Cup, founded by the sporting ideal to crown a European club champion- the Champion of Champions- was dead, killed off in favour of commercial necessity. The quality of the UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup was also severely hallowed out with the Cup Winners' Cup becoming a bit of an anachronistic farce as the turn of the century approached. By 1999, the competition was disbanded and combined with an expanded UEFA Cup, itself a pale imitation of its 1970s and 1980s heyday.
But What if
UEFA reject Super clubs in top 5 league proposal to expanded 8 runner-ups and UEFA faced the continent's biggest clubs down and buried the ESL for a few generations, at least, and retained the European club competition formats as they were in 1996/97, with some minor practical adjustments
so anyways what does Champions League will be look like for 1997 until this year and who will be winner the champions league for 1997 until this year
and what Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Cup would look like in modern times
