What We're Reading
UEFA to Give UCL Spot to Europa Winner
- Guardian, Thursday, May 23, 2013 1:21 PM
A new UEFA ruling will see the winner of its Europa League given an automatic berth in the Champions League for the following season. The new ruling will take effect from the 2014-15 season; a
formal announcement of the change is expected Friday.
Soccer’s European governing body is also considering whether to award a fifth Champions League place to clubs in the big European
leagues in addition to expanding the number of Europa League places on offer.
UEFA also confirmed that any player or official disciplined for racism would receive a minimum 10-game ban.
Last week, the English FA said it would impose a minimum five-game ban on players and officials found guilty of racism. Racism inside stadiums would result in a partial closure for a first offense
followed by a full stadium closure for repeat offenders.
Also, the minimum ban for players and coaches insulting referees has been increased from two to three games; the minimum ban for
assault has been increased from 10 to 15 games. UEFA has also removed the statute of limitations for investigating game-fixing cases, in addition to unveiling new anti-doping measures.
