October 22
Veteran Dutch coach Louis van Gaal strongly criticized the European Football Association (UEFA) and the new Champions League system that relies on one group.
The former coach of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Manchester United, in an interview with a number of Dutch media outlets, expressed his opposition to the changes, accusing the federation of only thinking about profit.
Van Gaal said, according to Spanish newspapers: “UEFA only thinks about making money. It is a corrupt world,” and described the current Champions League system as ridiculous.
Over the past two years, the tournament has been held with a unified league table system within the league stage, which is the first stage. Furthermore, the number of teams has increased from 32 to 36 teams, and the number of matches for each team has increased from 6 to 8 matches during this stage.
Van Gaal sees this as a mistake, believing it leads to more goalscoring matches and a greater disparity in the level of teams. “It's called the Champions League, isn't it? The best teams should be in it,” he said. “This way, the difference in level is reduced, and therefore the goals are reduced.”
Another problem associated with this system, which Van Gaal also pointed out, is the increased number of matches. He attributes serious injuries, such as that of Hvicha Kvaratskhelia, to the pressure of matches, saying: “There are more matches, and therefore, more injuries.”
