UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has criticised Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola and said they have no right to complain about the fixture schedule.
Reds boss Klopp and Man City chief Guardiola are two of the most vocal managers who have lambasted UEFA for the number of games played each season.
Liverpool played 63 matches in all competitions last season, while England also had 13 international matches across the 2021/22 season which followed the delayed Euro 2020 that took place last summer. This meant that some international players were playing almost 80 games across the campaign.
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The four Nations League fixtures that took place in June were widely condemned by players, pundits and managers. This included Klopp who in May was heavily critical of Ceferin and said: “The Nations League is one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football.
"Players have played over 70 games and we continue with Nations League games [after the season has ended]. Four, five, six games with the national teams. I would prefer UEFA take more money from the Champions League finals and get rid of the Nations League.”
Despite what many believe are fair complaints, Ceferin had no sympathy for Klopp or Guardiola.
“It’s easy always to attack FIFA and UEFA, but the thing is simple,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. “If you play less, you get less money. Who should complain are the factory workers who get €1,000 per month.
“Everyone wants more cup games, but nobody gives up on anything. Clubs wanted 10 games in the Champions League group stage. They’ll have eight, it’s the right number. Domestic leagues should have 18 clubs, but the presidents do not agree. They should understand that two domestic cups are too many.”
Ceferin further discussed the aforementioned Champions League reforms which come into place from the 2024/25 season. They will see an expanded group stage with a single league made up of 36 teams, four more than the current allotted number in the competition. Similarly, as supposed to six fixtures, each side will face eight games. And the Slovenian believes this will enhance a competition that Liverpool have won six times.
He said: “Today, you can already predict who will play in the Round of 16 after the draw. In the future, big clubs will meet more frequently, smaller clubs will have more chances to qualify and the group will be fought until the end. It will be spectacular, 2024 is tomorrow.”
In a wide-ranging interview with the Italian newspaper, Ceferin also discussed the current state of the failed European Super League, which is still being pushed for by Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The UEFA chief was questioned on whether he is on speaking terms with the powers that be at any of the three clubs.
He said: “Nothing with Agnelli [Juventus chairman], I met Perez [Real Madrid president] and respected the protocol. UEFA is not my property, so we sat close to each other during the Champions League Final in Paris and I congratulated him, that’s all.
“UEFA is not a monopoly. Clubs can decide to be included or not, whether to play in our competitions or organise their own. But in that case, they can’t play in our tournaments, that’s logic, right?
“The [Super League] project is dead because nobody wants to take part in it. I only see three people angry with everyone else and taking everyone else to court, but now it’s finished.”
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