LONDON (UK) – Pep Guardiola of Manchester City has urged a reduction in the number of clubs in the Premier League and English Football League in a bid to improve the quality of competition. This comes amid talks of a breakaway European Super League.
The concept of a European Super League as an alternative to the Champions League of UEFA has been doing the rounds for years. But in the past two years, speculation has increased.
The Times reported that it had seen a proposal to form the Super League which had plans for a competition with 15 founding members and five other clubs qualifying every year.
As per the plan, the 20 clubs are to be split into two groups of 10 each and playing between 18 and 23 European matches a season.
“I have the feeling that we cannot lose what local leagues mean – what it means to play the FA Cup … what it means to play in the leagues,” Guardiola said ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup match with fourth-tier Cheltenham Town.
“What we should do is make every league in Europe stronger than what it is, less teams, better championships, better League One, better League Two, better Premier League with less teams in every competition. Go to quality over quantity.
“You have to make a super Premier League … for that you have to reduce teams. But we can’t kill lower divisions or the Premier League.