One of the general gripes about the current premiership and European club system is that only a handful of clubs are able to win it, and it will always stay that way. It is almost impossible for a club without a billionaire benefactor to break the dominance of a select group, and this is true for most European leagues. <br />
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However, the nature of the Champions League has clearly ruffled a few feathers. The recent round of 16 threw up ManU vs Milan, Juve vs Real and Arsenal vs Bayern. And the big boys aren’t happy. Too many major clubs out early. Well, that’s their fault for not winning their groups, you might have thought.<br />
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So United chief executive <a href=”http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4373075.stm”>David Gill thinks teams should be rated</a> so that more big teams get to the latter stages. Erm, doesn’t this sound like fixing the system? Why are Lyon and PSV within a shout of the semis? They won their groups, have played the games. Why should “smaller” clubs be penalised? This is a terrible idea.<br />
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Remember Leeds? They were in the Champions League semis not that long ago. Bayer Leverkeusen? Finalists in 2002. Forget that kind of club getting anywhere. These teams will seeded lower, thereby giving them the toughest draw possible. If Gill is serious, we should forget qualification, and just have a Euro league with the obvious big names, and admit that the two-tier system is not just a function of the virtious circle of best players / big stadia / trophies / more money but is enshrined in football law.