Oligarch Fedun: "To make the rich even richer - the path to nowhere"

The owner of the Moscow "Spartak" Leonid Fedun expressed his opinion on the change in the Champions League format proposed by the European Union (UEFA) proposed by the European Union.

It is assumed that the number of participants in the tournament will increase from 32 to 36 teams, and the group stage will be held according to the Swiss system , when each club plays ten matches with equal rivals. The first eight teams go directly to the playoffs, and those who occupied 9-24 places will hold an additional round for exit in the 1/8 finals.

"All UEFA members are equal in their rights: there should not be discrimination and infringement of these rights. Rich clubs should be even richer when the poor will be even more poor in - the path to nowhere. It is necessary to strictly observe the sports principles of selection. And we need to increase the competitive level of the Premier League in order to comply with new regulations," the sports exploration newspaper quotes.

“I would like each of the European associations when discussing the Champions League reform to be heard,” added the main shareholder of Lukoil, which occupies 20th place in the Russian Forbes rating .

The coming reform of the main football European Cup was commented by the Director General of Lokomotiv Vladimir Leonchenko. He expressed the opinion that the corresponding changes in the Champions League format on the initiative of UEFA are a given that is extremely difficult to change.

"It is clear that the reforms are beneficial to the grands. The hierarchy has been firmly developed: sports and financial leaders are getting further away from the rest and meet with the" middle class "and, especially, they are not interested in outsiders - neither for purely football reasons or money." he noted.