Former Manchester United and Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal has launched a blistering attack on UEFA’s revamped Champions League structure. The legendary Dutch tactician claimed the new format prioritises financial gain over sporting integrity and player welfare.

Louis van Gaal blasts UEFA’s money-making machine

"It is ridiculous that UEFA is coming up with such a competition setup. Jan Doedel [a Dutch slang term for a fool] is also allowed to participate these days," Van Gaal told NOS. His frustration stems from the 2024 overhaul that saw the Champions League expand from 32 to 36 clubs, utilizing a single league table where every participant plays eight matches in the initial phase. According to Van Gaal, this expansion is motivated by greed rather than footballing excellence.

"UEFA only thinks about making money," the former Netherlands boss continued, doubling down on his long-standing opposition to the tournament's commercial evolution. This isn't a new stance for the man who led Ajax to European glory in 1995; he famously described the competition as a "commercial monstrosity" as far back as 1994.

He maintains that by allowing more teams in, the governing body is sacrificing the high-level tactical battles that fans deserve in favour of lopsided results and higher broadcasting revenue.

Van Gaal pointed to the recent surge in high-scoring games as evidence of a massive disparity in quality rather than an improvement in entertainment.

A radical proposal for tiered European football

Instead of the current "Swiss model" league phase, Van Gaal has proposed a system inspired by other international sports to ensure competitive balance. He believes that football should look toward the world of ice hockey, where nations are strictly categorised into different tiers based on their performance levels.

By grouping clubs of similar quality together, he argues that the intensity of the matches would increase, and the physical toll on the players would be more manageable across the long season.

"Just like in ice hockey. There you have an A-level, a B-level, et cetera," Van Gaal explained when outlining his vision for a restructured European pyramid. "Of course, there is also an Europa League and a Conference League, but UEFA hides behind that." He suggests that the current system pretends to be inclusive while actually forcing top-tier athletes to participate in more matches that lack true competitive tension until the later knockout rounds, which he views as a disservice to the sport's history.

The Dutchman also revealed that he has been banging this drum for decades, only to find his suggestions ignored by the powers that be in Nyon. "By doing that [tiering], you get matches of a higher level that are more exciting. And fewer injuries. I told UEFA that twenty years ago, but they don't listen to me," he lamented.

His proposal would see the biggest clubs facing each other more frequently in a condensed schedule, potentially reducing the overall number of fixtures while maintaining the prestige of the "Champions" label.

Player welfare and the injury crisis

Beyond the tactical and structural complaints, Van Gaal is deeply concerned about the physical impact the expanded calendar has on modern footballers.

"There are also far too many matches, also because of that new larger group phase in the Champions League. As a result, there are also more injuries," he stated.

This issue was highlighted during the high-profile clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, where multiple stars were forced off. While he admitted to enjoying the 4-2 spectacle provided by managers like Hansi Flick and Luis Enrique, he warned that such games are becoming rare exceptions in a sea of fixture congestion that eventually breaks the players.

Van Gaal concluded that the solution is a return to a more exclusive, streamlined competition that puts footballing quality above all else. He argued that the current trajectory is unsustainable, as the sheer volume of games will continue to lead to a higher rate of long-term absences for the world's best talents.