UEFA have announced a major rule change which could see stars omitted from their clubs’ 25-man Champions League squads handed a lifeline.
When the five British sides competing in Europe’s premium competition announced their squad lists last week, there were some notably big names who missed out.
New Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank left out the club’s £30m signing Mathys Tel, with the winger later admitting that being axed from the squad ‘definitely hurt’.
Gabriel Jesus failed to secure a spot in Mikel Arteta’s squad, Enzo Maresca omitted new recruit Facundo Buononotte and, in a move dubbed ‘cruel’ by fans, Liverpool cult hero Federico Chiesa was absent from Arne Slot’s plans.
Such decisions meant that the stars could not feature in their sides’ Champions League campaigns until the knockout phase after Christmas.
But now, thanks to a rule change from UEFA, that could no longer be the case.
UEFA have announced a rule change which could see Federico Chiesa introduced into Liverpool’s Champions League squad
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Tottenham’s Mathys Tel, also omitted, could too find a place in Tottenham Hotspur’s squad
In a surprising move, the European football governing body has announced clubs will be allowed to include a ‘temporary’ replacement if one of their outfield players suffers a ‘long-term injury or illness’.
The rule is in play until the sixth match-day, which is when the Conference League ends.
A UEFA statement read: ‘The reasoning for the adaptation is to ensure that squad lists are not unfairly reduced and players are safeguarded from additional workload pressure.’
The decision was made at a UEFA meeting in the Albanian capital on Thursday, where officials also finalised the venue for the 2027 Champions League final.
The host venue will be Atletico Madrid’s Riyadh Air Metropolitan stadium which, in good news for Liverpool fans, was where the Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur to win the Champions League in 2019.
It had previously been rumoured that the San Siro in Milan would host the event, but that idea was eventually changed.
Officials ruled out the iconic Italian stadium last year despite giving the city of Milan extra time to comply with hosting requirements.
Atletico will have hosted the final twice since Real Madrid´s now-renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last staged it in 2010.
Atletico Madrid’s Riyadh Air Metropolitan stadium will host the 2027 Champions League final
It’s the same venue where Liverpool lifted the 2019 Champions League trophy
Also announced today were the hosts of the 2027 Women’s Champions League final – in Warsaw’s National Stadium in Poland – and the venues for the 2026 Super Cup, the 2026 Futsal Champions League final, Futsal Under-19 Euros and the Women’s Futsal Euros – in Salzburg, Austria; Pesaro, Italy; Astana, Kazakhstan and Osijek, Croatia.
As part of the meeting, UEFA also opted to delay their decision on whether to give the green light to European domestic league games being staged overseas.
It comes amid LaLiga’s proposal to hold Barcelona’s December match against Villarreal in Miami, USA – in what would mark the first ever European league fixture to be played overseas.
They also considered an application for AC Milan’s Serie A match against Como to be played in Perth, Australia, next February.
The executive committee said that it must ‘undertake a round of consultation with all stakeholders in European football – including fans’ prior to make a final decision.
Fans’ groups have expressed strong opposition to the plans previously, regarding this as the biggest governance scandal in the game since the launch of a European Super League in 2021.
UEFA said in a statement: ‘The committee acknowledged it as an important and growing issue but expressed the desire to ensure that it has the views of all stakeholders before coming to a final decision.
‘There are many issues to resolve and as the European governing body, UEFA has a responsibility to take all such factors into account.’
