In 1999, I published a reform, according to which the Champions League began to be played only in 2024

Здесь статья на английском языке. Эта же моя статья на русском языке называется «В 1999 году я опубликовал реформу, по которой сейчас играет Лига  чемпионов» (поиск статьи через поисковую строку).   

In 2024, the Champions League in football carried out its most high-profile reform. After the reform, all teams began to play not in eight small groups, but in one large group with a single common football table.

I developed a scheme for holding competitions with a large number of teams in one common football table with a limited number of rounds (games) in the mid-90s. I developed it by hand, not on a computer. I developed it at home, not to order. I developed it for the qualifying round of the World Cup and the European Championship, but I immediately realized that my project would be suitable for many other competitions. I realized that my project had a huge future. (Analysis of football tables and schemes is my oxygen, so I know a lot here.)

I started promoting the created project, first in handwritten form, then in the form of a magazine and homemade brochures. I offered the project in handwritten form to a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, Koloskov (at the same time, Koloskov was the President of the Russian Football Union - RFU). Koloskov returned the project to me almost a year later. I also offered my project to employees of the Russian Football Union, famous football personalities, and many media outlets. In the period 1999-2007, I gave my project (to everyone - in person) to FIFA President Joseph Blatter, UEFA President Lennart Johansson, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, and many other famous foreign football personalities who visited Moscow. No one was able to evaluate my project positively.

And only in 1999 my project was published in the Russian-language Moscow edition of the magazine «World Soccer» (editor Igor Goldes). Below are three scans of the World Soccer magazine for December 1999: the first page of the magazine, a page with information about the magazine, a page with my article «Two Divisions Are Better». It is better to look at the numerical schedule of games not in the scan of the magazine, but three pages below in the summary of my project.

During one of his visits (2004), Platini recognized me (we had already met before). I realized he had looked at the article in the magazine. I understood that, albeit poorly, the article had been translated for him. Platini tried to ask questions, but the conversation did not work out, I did not know English. At that time, he was a member of the UEFA Executive Committee.

Briefly about my project, published in the magazine in 1999. The competition is called «Qualifying round for the World Cup and European Championships in the European region.» I divided 50 national teams of Europe into two divisions: 32 best teams were placed in the stronger Division A, the rest - in Division B (below the diagram). In Division A, 32 teams are not distributed into separate small groups, all 32 teams play in one large group with one common football table. (Note the last sentence. The single overall football table was published by me 25 years ago.)

In Division A (where there are 32 teams), the calendar of games in numerical form is developed in advance, once and for all. All that remains is to select a team for each number (in the numerical calendar), that is, to hold a draw. This is done like this. (See the diagram below.) The 32 teams of Division A are divided into eight levels according to the rating, with four teams in each level. The first, highest level, is given numbers from 1 to 4 for the draw, the next level is given numbers from 5 to 8, and so on. The lowest level is numbers from 29 to 32. Then a draw is held within each level.

The diagram below uses the rating for 2024, not 1999.

 The scheme (in Division A only) works on the following principle. Each team plays eight games - one game with one of the teams of each level, including a team of its own level. The games are played according to the following rule.

Each team (in Division A) plays four games at home, four games at the opponent's field. The games are strictly alternated: game at home - game at the opponent's field. In the last round, teams of the same level play each other.

The best teams of Division A get the right to play in the final stages of the World Championships and European Championships. The worst teams of Division «A» are eliminated by rotation to the lower Division «B» (where teams play only within their Division «B»). Below is the calendar of games of Division «A» in numerical form (made by hand).

 It is not difficult to place all the teams in one big group. It was difficult to find a solution on what scheme to use for holding the competition within this one big group, where all the teams are in one common football table. Before the publication of my project in 1999, not a single vaunted world company had created a single project with a common football table for many decades. Not a single project until 2024. And only in 2024 did three major football tournaments carry out reforms. And they could have carried out reforms 25 years ago, when I published my project.

And one more thing. Before the publication of my project in 1999, no one had ever even voiced that there was a problem that teams of the same level do not play among themselves. And if no one had ever even voiced it, then it turns out that no one knew about the existence of this problem.

And now about the reform of the Champions League in 2024. According to the UEFA project, 36 teams play in the new Champions League instead of 32. They are divided into 4 levels with 9 teams in each level. Each of the 36 teams plays one game with two teams of each level, including teams of its own level.

Let's compare the changes in the new UEFA 2024 project and my project. According to the UEFA project, the number of teams in the Champions League is 36, according to my project - 32. According to the UEFA project, 36 teams are divided into 4 levels, according to my project, 32 teams are divided into 8 levels. According to the UEFA project, each team plays with a team of its own level, plays for the first time, according to my project, each team played with a team of its own level more than 25 years ago. According to the UEFA project, a common football table has been introduced for all 36 teams, introduced for the first time, according to my project, a single common football table was introduced more than 25 years ago. As you can see, the basic scheme of the competition according to the UEFA project is the same as in my project published 25 years ago. The new Champions League project is very, very similar to my project.

The 2024 Champions League reform has fundamentally changed only two aspects. It introduced a single common football table and games with a team of the same level. These changes will significantly increase the level of the competition and interest in them. But this is not enough to consider the 2024 Champions League a good competition. Even after the 2024 reform, the Champions League does not meet the requirements of a well-structured full-fledged annual competition in which all participants in the competition are satisfied. There are unused reserves for another reform. The reserves are large. These reserves must be used. The Champions League must be reformed again, reformed competently. It must also be reformed so that competitors do not have a reason to create their own tournament. Then the threat of creating a «Super League» («United League») will lose its force.

I have another completed Champions League project. It is waiting for its time. I just don’t know if there will be football officials who will be able to understand and appreciate my project. I wonder if Igor Goldes will understand my other project? Or will I be offside again? If my other Champions League project starts working, then the 2024 Champions League reform will be child’s play.

The project for reforming the sports competition described in this article and in the World Soccer magazine article “Two Divisions Are Better” and its individual fragments are not to be used without the consent of the author. This article and the article in World Soccer magazine do not constitute the consent of the author.

What did I do wrong 25 years ago? Now, with what methods should I promote my other forty-page Champions League project? What would you advise through the prism of your life experience? Thank you for your constructive opinion.

The article was translated into English by a robot translator. Author Rinat Mingaleev. Moscow.