UEFA protest by Borussia Dortmund fans
Borussia Dortmund fans threw objects onto the pitch to protest the reform of the UEFA Champions League, causing the match against Newcastle to be stopped.
The match was temporarily stopped at half-time to remove fake gold bars, tennis balls and bags of money, but when play resumed the items were still on the grass.
While it was noteworthy that fans protested during the match against Saudi-backed Newcastle, one banner read: “You don’t care about sports, all you care about is money.”
Fans also showed a link to a campaign site protesting Champions League reform.
Dortmund fans threw fake gold bars onto the pitch.
The players made an effort to clear the field of material from the penalty area almost to the center circle.
Dortmund fans have expressed their opinion on issues affecting football in the past. In October last year, fans unfurled a banner reading “Boycott Qatar 2022” before the match against Manchester City.
REACTION TO THE NEW FORMAT OF THE GIANTS LEAGUE
His latest protest, this time against UEFA, appears to be related to the new Champions League format that will come into force next season.
The number of teams competing in the group stage will increase from 32 to 36, generally benefiting the largest football nations. The English Premier League could get a qualifying spot with a fifth team.
Instead of eight groups of four teams, there will now be a single league that will include all 36 teams. Each team will play against 10 different teams, five at home and the other five away.
From here, the top eight teams will automatically qualify for the knockout phase of the 16th round. The teams between ninth and 24th place will compete in a two-leg playoff to qualify for the round of 16.
The next process, as we have seen before, will be a two-legged elimination in each round until the final.