With Uefa’s club competitions entering a new three-year-cycle starting next season, several key changes have already been announced as part of their evolution.
Games in Europe’s top competition, from the playoff round to the final, will now be scheduled to start at 9pm CET, rather than the current 8:45pm CET.
However, four group games every week – two on Tuesday and two on Wednesday – will kick off at 6:55pm CET, while all matches will be played simultaneously on matchday six.
Europa League matches will kick off either 6:55pm CET or 9pm CET until the round of 16, after which the later time will be used.
For the Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup finals, a total of 12 substitutes can be named on the bench. Uefa says this will give ‘clubs and, in particular, coaches more flexibility regarding substitutes, and facilitate their squad management for the most important fixture of the season.’
In the knockout rounds as a whole, a fourth substitute will be allowed during extra-time, which will not affect the other three substitutions that can be made.
Meanwhile, a change has been made to the rules regarding the registration of new players for after the group stages. Clubs will now be allowed to register three new eligible players ‘without any restrictions.’
This will avoid situations where January signings are prevented from playing for their new clubs if they have already played in a Uefa competition that season, as has happened with Philippe Coutinho at Barcelona and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal this season.
The news will be welcomed by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was critical of the fact that record-signing Aubameyang cannot play in the Europa League knockouts because former club Borussia Dortmund dropped into the competition after finishing third in their Champions League group.
‘I believe that all the clubs agree now this rule has to disappear in Europe,’ he said ahead of Arsenal’s last-32 first leg against Ostersunds.
‘When you look at the transfer amounts you spend now, that you have to spend 50-million, 60-million, 70-million in the middle of the season, that the players cannot play doesn’t make sense.’
The changes will be introduced for the Champions League, Europa League and Uefa Super Cup from next season.
