Liverpool could be negatively affected by new distribution rules for Champions League prize money, likely meaning they earn less next time.
If Liverpool were to qualify for next year’s Champions League, the Reds would be entitled to receive more of the cash pot than a new entrant that reaches the same round in the competition, due to Liverpool’s success in Europe within the last 10 years.
For example, if Jurgen Klopp‘s side reached the quarter-finals, they would earn more than Club Brugge if they got to the same stage.
This is deemed unfair by the European Club Association (ECA), and it wants a more equal distribution of the cash pot.
Martin Ziegler of the Times reports that UEFA will oblige and is “expected to reduce the amount it pays to clubs based on their historical achievements.”
The current system sees 30 percent of the money distributed “according to a points system based on [the club’s] performances over the previous ten years in European competition,” reports Ziegler.
This has benefited Liverpool in recent seasons.
Last time around, they earned the second-highest amount, €119.9 million, as they finished runners-up to Real Madrid, who took €133.7 million.
Ziegler added that the current system would “likely be kept in some form” but the ECA “is arguing for a fairer distribution that helps the mid-sized and smaller clubs more when the new Champions League format involving 36 clubs is launched in 2024.”
European football’s governing body has sometimes struggled to implement its own ideas due to pressure from elite clubs who hold influence.
However, Ziegler reports that “UEFA is in a stronger position to act against the big clubs now, having beaten off the European Super League threat.”
This means any reforms are more likely to be passed.
While the new rules would be unlikely to completely level the playing field, it would be a step towards fairer competition, even if it does mean that Liverpool lose out on a portion of the prize money.