With the UEFA Champions League already in the group stages, there are a lot of thrilling experiences that fans won’t want to miss. Here is the news making headlines in the Champions League as fans continue looking forward to the knockout stage that gets underway on 20th February, before the culmination of the season on 27th May.
Galatasaray Faces A Dry Spell In Europe
The Turkish football powerhouse has been in trouble for its European campaign for about a year, having won last in September 2018. This season, Galatasaray’s Champions League adventure came to an end earlier on 6th November after a devastating 6-0 loss to the Spanish giants, Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. That was the most significant loss for Galatasaray in the UEFA club competition.
This season, Galatasaray has continued disappointing fans in the Champions League as they didn’t secure a win in four Group A games, despite losing only three matches. During their opening match, they had a goalless draw against Club Brugge in Belgium. However, they lost 1-0 against PSG in their second match in Istanbul and also lost their third match against Real Madrid at home ground.
Italy Requests A Change In Venue For The UEFA Champions League Final
The Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora wrote to the UEFA president earlier last month, asking the organization to reconsider hosting the Champions League final in Istanbul. The motion has hit the UEFA Champions League football fan news headlines after the Turkish military operation in Syria, which made the Turkish national team celebrate a goal against Albania with a salute to support their troops.
According to the Italian Sports minister, the organization must consider whether its appropriate for Turkey to stage the final considering the cruel acts committed against the Kurdish civilians. As such, Spadafora believes it’s time to take the brave decision and show that football is a tool for peace.
CBS Acquire The Broadcasting Rights For The US
In a move that has fans by surprise, CBS has won the right to broadcast the EUFA Champions League in the United States from the upcoming 2021/2022 season to 2023/2024. However, Univision will retain the rights to the Spanish language for the second cycle.
CBS and Univision will be paying between $140 and $150 million every season for the combined rights, which is an increase from the $105 million spent by the current holders of the rights – Turner and Univision. As a result, fans can expect all the Champions League games to be available on CBS Sports Network, CBS’s main Network, and their subscription streaming service.
Klopp Calls For More Changes On Var
While meeting Europe’s best coaches during the UEFA coaches conference, Liverpool boss, |Jurgen Klopp, has asked UEFA for further changed on the VAR system. Klopp was speaking earlier on Monday, alongside Manchester City rival coach Pep Guardiola and PSG’s chief Thomas Tuchel.
According to Klopp, VAR can be improved for the better, though it might never be 100% accurate. Klopp aims to improve several things on the VAR, including offside and handball, as there are still mistakes being made in making decisions. His concerns came less than 24 hours after their 3-1 win against Manchester City in the Premier League.
