Dortmund chief dismisses Europa League cull
Reuters - Wednesday 18 April 2012, 15:09
Borussia Dortmund chief executive
Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed as "complete nonsense" the
idea of abolishing the Europa League and increasing the
Champions League to 64 teams.
Germany's Bild newspaper reported earlier this month that
UEFA president Michel Platini wanted to make the change in 2015
but Europe's governing body has never confirmed the plan.
Watzke stood up for the much-maligned Europa League, saying
Dortmund had made 13 million euros from it when
they took part last season, even though they were knocked out in
the group stage.
"It is complete nonsense," Watzke told Germany's Sport Bild
magazine.
"Why should a premium product such as the Champions League
be artificially watered down? I have liked almost everything
that Platini has done so far, but now he is completely on the
wrong path.
"The fans don't want to see the third-placed team from
Lithuania."
Watzke added: "Marketing is not everything. The Europa
League has generally been accepted by the fans. We received 13
million euros from taking part one and a half years ago. That is
a significant quantity of money.
"Of course, the financial difference between the Champions
League and Europa League is very big, but could be reduced by
solidarity contributions from the Champions League to the Europa
League."