Sporting, Benfica, Barcelona and Palma Futsal have expressed bewilderment to UEFA that they will have to play the Champions League final four in Armenia, more than 5,000 kilometers from the Iberian Peninsula.
“This will prevent clubs from offering their fans a genuine opportunity to fill the stands at the most important tournament of the season, which will be detrimental to the event and the sport we have worked so hard to develop year after year. At a distance of more than 5,000 kilometers, it will be very expensive for them,” they explained in a joint letter accessed by EFE.
UEFA has announced that the Final Four will be held in the capital Yerevan from 3 to 5 May 2024. The decision has caused “confusion and concern” among the Portuguese and Spanish, who have dominated the sport and do not see some of the “advantages” of the decision.
The quartet believe that “open and transparent communication” should prevail between clubs and UEFA to “improve cooperation” and hope UEFA will take the comments “constructively and positively”, fulfilling their wishes.
“Last but not least, we believe that the voice of clubs should be taken into account when decisions are made about them,” they emphasize in a letter sent to UEFA head of futsal Laurent Morel.
The Portuguese and Spanish believe that through more inclusive geographical competition, UEFA will be able to achieve “better opportunities to establish cooperation and commercial agreements” and will also help to “promote” the event among sports fans.
Sporting, Benfica, Barcelona and Palma Futsal remain unanimous in their opinion that the event in Armenia will “further exacerbate the lack of support and prizes that this competition should have had long ago to give it due”.
A letter with these concerns was also sent to the relevant federations.
Barcelona have been European champions four times, Sporting twice, and Benfica and the current futsal champion Palma have won the title once.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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