AFC Champions League: footballers’ union Fifpro calls competition ‘unsustainable’, says bosses ignoring players, clubs
- Report says average quality of teams in Champions League inferior to the top domestic divisions in Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia
- Union accuses officials of adopting ‘a top-down approach that excludes the voices of players and clubs from decision-making’
The Asian Champions League is unsustainable, the global footballers’ union Fifpro said in a report on Monday, accusing the regional governing body of failing to listen to players and clubs.
With Saudi teams shelling out hundreds of millions on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema, the continent’s top club competition is in the spotlight like never before.
And there has been little rest for the region’s top players, with the round of 16 starting last week, just three days after the final of the Asian Cup, which was won by hosts Qatar.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is responsible for both competitions, which span a vast area from Australia to the Middle East and Central Asia, although the league is split into two zones, “West” and “East”, until a two-legged final home and away.
Starting in the next campaign, there will also be a geographical split at the start of the tournament, but the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Fifpro said the remodelled version, which will see the winner take home an increased cheque of US$12 million, was also unsustainable.
