The Diagnosis: Why Michel Platini's Decision To Reduce CL Spots Is Right

UEFA chairman Michel Platini is trying to open the doors of the Champions League for teams from weaker nations, from a football perspective, of course. Nevertheless, big teams are opposing this movement. Why?

The problem is that the CL is not a Champions League anymore.

Look at the teams playing in the quarter-finals! There are only three champions: FC Porto, Man United and Bayern!

What did Arsenal win in the last two years? Or Liverpool? OR VILLARREAL?

The thing is: Platini is trying to bring back the old school game...the beautiful one.

Now it is all about money.

The English Premier League is turning into a foreigner's gamble, well most of the spectators are English, like some of the players and all the teams actually play in England.

But where does the money come from? Saudi Arabia, Russia, the USA...

What Platini is trying to do is putting an end to this spending nonsense. When asked by a journalist if he is against investors from Dubai putting their money in EPL teams, UEFA's leader wisely said: "I'd rather see them investing in Abu Dhabi."

The thing is that poorer clubs from less attractive countries, do not have a chance against the millions and millions of the likes of Liverpool or Man United.

If smaller clubs produce talented players, they have to sell them, so that they can sustain themselves. Llook at Ajax: before the mega-bucks arrived, they were one of the top-flight teams, filled with Dutch talent. Now, they're forgotten by European fans and their stars left old Ajax for other elite clubs.

That is why I admire Barcelona's managing team. They are the only top-flight European team that does not wear a sponsor's logo on their shirt. In their whole history, there were only two exceptions: a small logo of the Catalan TV (TV3) on one of the sleeves and the UNICEF logo on the front of the shirt (Barça not only does not ask for money, it also donates considerable sums to UNICEF).

The thing is that they still have one of the best teams in Europe, and they're probably the strongest squad in the Champions League.

Nevertheless, the talk is about reducing CL spots for the EPL, La Liga, and Serie A. And why not?

Look at some teams that qualified from these countries:

Juventus: three years ago playing in Serie B, because of the corruption scandal Calciocaos. This year they've reached the eight-finals. Talk about fighting match-fixing...

Atlético Madrid: Hasn't won anything in years. Do they actually deserve their spot?

Vilarreal: Reached the semi-finals some years ago, now they're again in the quarter-finals. Excuse me, but were are the La Liga trophies?

Arsenal: Has not won significant titles for some years now. No European titles. Do they deserve their spot?

Until now, UEFA has favoured teams from Spain, Italy and England. Now, Platini is trying to save football from killing itself.

Let's look at some cases that Platini is trying to stop:

1. Liverpool qualifies for the CL in '05.

Liverpool finished with a fifth place in the EPL, but won the CL. Thousand pressured UEFA and UEFA happily gave Liverpool a chance: they would have to play all qualifying rounds against mighty unknown teams. How did they actually get through all those teams?

2. Juventus, AC Milan and Fiorentina: Calciocaos aftermath

Only three years after the scandal all three teams played in European competitions. Suddenly, handing over millions to corrupt teams is an adequate match-fixing punishment. Oh, and AC Milan went on to win the CL in 2006/2007...

3. Chelski's monopoly

A Russian billionaire takes over Chelsea. A dream team is built, fees get higher.

4. The downfall of great European teams

SL Benfica: 2x champions, 5x runner up

Ajax: 4x champions, 2x runner up

Borussia Dortmund: 1997 champions

Red Star Belgrade: 1991 champions

And the list goes on and on...

Finally, UEFA saw that there's a different side of football.

Most of the B/R readers only know the rich side of football: UK, Spain and Italy. If you go to Portugal, finding a full stadium is next to miraculous...

Another rule trying to be implemented by Platini is a rule that will help teams with good youth programmes: The majority of the squad has to be composed by players that come from the club's youth academy.

Teams like Ajax or Sporting will be thanking UEFA for this.

And the new admission rules for the UEFA Champions League will definitely help teams that keep to their budget, which is great, since it will stop the non-spending nonsense.

The problem in European football, is that teams are losing their competitiveness. Only some 5 to 10 teams have a chance of grabbing the Champions League trophy.

Teams have huge budgets that others can not compete with. This has to be, and it will be, stopped. We have to let the true champions play, not the fourth-best team in England or Spain or some corrupt Italian team.