Un projet visant à organiser des plays off pour la 4ème place est à l'étude :
The Premier League is considering
introducing a play-off system to determine the fourth club to qualify
for the following season's European Champions League.Currently
the club which finishes fourth goes through but the new proposal would
mean a play-off between the clubs finishing fourth, fifth, sixth and
seventh. The intention is to inject more competition into a league in
which qualification has for years remained in the hands of the same four
clubs.Premier League sources have confirmed that the play-off
proposal was presented at the most recent meeting of all clubs, on 4
February, and the league's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, was
authorised to return with further details in April.It is
understood that the idea was enthusiastically supported by all clubs –
except the so-called big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and
Liverpool. Scudamore, and the league's secretary, Mike Foster, will
examine the practicalities of how a play-off system could work: whether
it should take the form of a home-and-away knockout system, similar to
that in the Football League, or incorporate seeding. They will also look
into when matches could be fitted into a crowded fixture calendar
before making recommendations.The idea was presented as part of
the Premier League's strategic review of its format and operations and
springs from two particular motivations. The first is to crack the
problem of England's top league becoming less open and competitive, with
the richest clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool,
having strengthened their hold on the top four places over several
years. One league source said it was an odd twist that the idea has been
raised now, in a season when Liverpool's claim to the fourth place is
being seriously challenged.The response among clubs outside the
top four is understood to have been positive, with some believing that a
play-off system would create more competitive matches and give more
clubs a prize to challenge for. Most clubs now feel they have no chance
of attaining fourth place but almost the whole Premier League could be
brought into a competition to finish seventh and make it to the
play-offs. The medium-sized clubs, which increasingly aspire to break
the cartel, are said to have been enthusiastic, seeing play-offs as a
great opportunity.The big four, who have been qualifying on merit
at the end of each season and reaping the footballing and financial
rewards of Champions League participation are understood to have been
less keen. Self-interest is clearly a factor, with those clubs concerned
about protecting their own advantages. However, there is also a feeling
that the league should be more sophisticated about addressing its major
challenges, particularly the financial ones, rather than incorpor-ating
an awkward play-off system for a prize as ostensibly moderate as fourth
place.The other motivation for the play-offs is a waning of the
proposal for an international round of matches, dubbed "Game 39", which
was widely criticised for lacking coherence and being territorially
expansionist. The play-offs would mean extra matches, which would be
sold to pay-television and so generate more money for all clubs.The
consistent qualification of the same four clubs, widely seen as
stifling competition, is not replicated across Europe. The Premier
League largely blames the Uefa Champions League money, distributed to
participating clubs, for entrenching the big four's financial power.
Uefa, however, points out that Champions League income represents a
small part, 8–13%, of Manchester United's, Chelsea's, Arsenal's and
Liverpool's total turnover. Most of the big clubs' money is made in this
country; Premier League television income is relatively evenly
distributed but United, Chelsea and Arsenal in particular make much more
than their nearest rivals from commercial activities and match-day
revenues in the Premier League.The Dutch league tried a play-off
system for the second Champions League qualification place but abandoned
it after the 2007-08 season, when FC Twente Enschede beat Ajax 2-1. The
issues in Holland were the risk of crowd trouble at such high-stakes
matches and a perception that the play-offs were one-sided.In
the Premier League there is some confidence that neither of those would
present major problems. As a means of encouraging competition,
opportunities and increasing income, the play-off proposal already seems
to have enough support to suggest it could gain the necessary 14-6
majority to be implemented.
The Guardian
The Premier League is considering
introducing a play-off system to determine the fourth club to qualify
for the following season's European Champions League.Currently
the club which finishes fourth goes through but the new proposal would
mean a play-off between the clubs finishing fourth, fifth, sixth and
seventh. The intention is to inject more competition into a league in
which qualification has for years remained in the hands of the same four
clubs.Premier League sources have confirmed that the play-off
proposal was presented at the most recent meeting of all clubs, on 4
February, and the league's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, was
authorised to return with further details in April.It is
understood that the idea was enthusiastically supported by all clubs –
except the so-called big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and
Liverpool. Scudamore, and the league's secretary, Mike Foster, will
examine the practicalities of how a play-off system could work: whether
it should take the form of a home-and-away knockout system, similar to
that in the Football League, or incorporate seeding. They will also look
into when matches could be fitted into a crowded fixture calendar
before making recommendations.The idea was presented as part of
the Premier League's strategic review of its format and operations and
springs from two particular motivations. The first is to crack the
problem of England's top league becoming less open and competitive, with
the richest clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool,
having strengthened their hold on the top four places over several
years. One league source said it was an odd twist that the idea has been
raised now, in a season when Liverpool's claim to the fourth place is
being seriously challenged.The response among clubs outside the
top four is understood to have been positive, with some believing that a
play-off system would create more competitive matches and give more
clubs a prize to challenge for. Most clubs now feel they have no chance
of attaining fourth place but almost the whole Premier League could be
brought into a competition to finish seventh and make it to the
play-offs. The medium-sized clubs, which increasingly aspire to break
the cartel, are said to have been enthusiastic, seeing play-offs as a
great opportunity.The big four, who have been qualifying on merit
at the end of each season and reaping the footballing and financial
rewards of Champions League participation are understood to have been
less keen. Self-interest is clearly a factor, with those clubs concerned
about protecting their own advantages. However, there is also a feeling
that the league should be more sophisticated about addressing its major
challenges, particularly the financial ones, rather than incorpor-ating
an awkward play-off system for a prize as ostensibly moderate as fourth
place.The other motivation for the play-offs is a waning of the
proposal for an international round of matches, dubbed "Game 39", which
was widely criticised for lacking coherence and being territorially
expansionist. The play-offs would mean extra matches, which would be
sold to pay-television and so generate more money for all clubs.The
consistent qualification of the same four clubs, widely seen as
stifling competition, is not replicated across Europe. The Premier
League largely blames the Uefa Champions League money, distributed to
participating clubs, for entrenching the big four's financial power.
Uefa, however, points out that Champions League income represents a
small part, 8–13%, of Manchester United's, Chelsea's, Arsenal's and
Liverpool's total turnover. Most of the big clubs' money is made in this
country; Premier League television income is relatively evenly
distributed but United, Chelsea and Arsenal in particular make much more
than their nearest rivals from commercial activities and match-day
revenues in the Premier League.The Dutch league tried a play-off
system for the second Champions League qualification place but abandoned
it after the 2007-08 season, when FC Twente Enschede beat Ajax 2-1. The
issues in Holland were the risk of crowd trouble at such high-stakes
matches and a perception that the play-offs were one-sided.In
the Premier League there is some confidence that neither of those would
present major problems. As a means of encouraging competition,
opportunities and increasing income, the play-off proposal already seems
to have enough support to suggest it could gain the necessary 14-6
majority to be implemented.
The Guardian
