Still tearing up? UEFA: Met with European Super League companies but no negotiations, no intention to change the Champions League format

October 10th According to previous media reports, the European Super League and UEFA have been conducting secret negotiations for eight months and jointly proposed a new Champions League plan.

On Thursday local time, UEFA denied that it was in negotiations with A22 Sports Management, the promoter of the Super League, and only admitted that it had met with the other party. Previously, A22 told AFP that it was "negotiating" with UEFA to create a new Champions League format.

A22 spokesperson said: "The agreement proposed by A22 and Super League clubs to UEFA is essentially to provide a free broadcast platform and make minor adjustments to the current competition format."

UEFA acknowledged that there had been several "public meetings" between Secretary-General Theodore Theodoridis and A22 co-founder Anas Laglari, but stated that these meetings "did not produce any official results."

The latest version of the European Super League plan is far different from the semi-closed European Super League launched in 2021 that has almost torn European football apart. According to the plan, the 36 teams currently qualified for the Champions League will be divided into two groups, with 18 teams in each group. The top-ranked team will receive tickets to the top 32 knockout rounds.

But UEFA said: "We have no plans to change the Champions League competition system." In fact, starting from the 2024-25 season, UEFA has begun to implement the new Champions League competition system.

Previously, Laporta, the chairman of Barcelona Club who has long been at the forefront of the European Super League project, expressed his desire to "reach an agreement with UEFA" to "appease" European football.

At the European Football Club (EFC, formerly the European Club Association) meeting in Rome, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser welcomed Laporta's change of attitude.

However, in Nasser’s view, Barcelona’s proximity to EFC and UEFA does not mean the end of the European Super League, because he believes that the European Super League is “already dead.” Nasser said: "We don't need other events because we already have the best events."