UEFA News
UEFA has made new changes to the rules for the Champions League, Europa League and Supercup Europe matches, which will come into force this fall with the start of the new season, 2018-2019. One of the most important is the introduction of the fourth change.
The new provisions are added to the changes announced in November 2017, which concerned the number of preliminary tournaments, the number of teams sent to competitions according to the country’s coefficient and the route they are going to take to the group stage.
Last week, the Spaniards at Mundo Deportivo also announced how to divide the money from the next season of the Champions League.
Amendments announced by UEFA on Tuesday, March 27:
1. The fourth change will be made only in the elimination phase and only in the event of overtime. The rule does not affect the 3 changes available and normally.
2. The starting times will also be modified. 21:45 is no longer the classic time of the Champions League games. From next season, matches will start at 22:00, with few exceptions: in the group stage, two games a day (Tuesday and Wednesday) will start at 19:55.
In the Europa League, from the groups up to the finals, the matches will be scheduled at 19:55 and 22:00, and their distribution will be made according to the draw of the parties. In principle, matches in the last stage of the group stage will be played at the same time. Quarterfinals, semifinals and final matches will be played at 22:00, with the mention that UEFA may change.
Europe’s Super Cup will be played only from 22:00 and the time is also valid for the summer event scheduled on August 15 in Tallinn (Estonia).
3. Only at the Champions League and European League finals, but also in the Supercup of Europe, the batches will count 23 players, compared to 18, the limit so far. In the rest of the matches, the teams will still have 18 players in the batch.
4. After the group stage, both the Champions League and the Europa League, three eligible players will be placed on the UEFA list without any restriction. The rule is in line with those existing in some national leagues in Europe where no restrictions are imposed on players registered with a new club during the winter transfer period.
5. In the Champions League there is already this habit, and from 2018 to 2019 practice will be taken over in the European League: a team that has won 3 times in a row or 5 times in the European League trophy (or the UEFA Cup, the old the name of the competition) will be able to wear a logo on his sleeve to prove this performance. The only one to qualify for this privilege in the coming season is FC Sevilla, which has met both criteria – won the UEL in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
