Little can dilute the San Siro’s distinction as a soaring citadel of the game, a monolith whose giant concrete towers and protruding red girders often strike terror into the hearts of opponents. Except this enfeebled Milan team are ill-equipped to match the grandeur of their setting. Essentially a collection of Chelsea cast-offs, they have such scant hope of adding to this club’s seven European Cup triumphs that the loudest sound they elicited from the Curva Sud on Tuesday night was a shrill chorus of contempt. By the time Dominik Szoboszlai guided in a volley for Liverpool’s third, the place was half-empty.
Only 55,000 tickets have been sold, 16,000 fewer than for last Saturday’s Serie A game against Venezia. It is not quite the image Uefa had in mind when the draw brought two of the continent’s three most-decorated institutions together on the opening match day.
Take jeopardy, for instance. Under the old six-game group-phase format, teams would have a fair idea in September that 10 points would all but guarantee qualification for the knockout stage. Now they have no clue, with a [sprawling mini-league](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/16/champions-league-draw-when/) lasting until late January and only 12 of 36 teams eliminated without the chance of a play-off, how many will be sufficient. And so, just as Liverpool’s win was light on outright euphoria, Milan’s defeat could hardly be considered terminal. Such is life under this strangest of systems, where the imponderables outweigh the certainties.
It has always been about money for these associations whether it be UEFA, FIFA, CONMEBOL. They say they are thinking about the fans bringing more pure and joy instead all they care about is filling their own pockets.
warpentake_chiasmus on
That’s what happens when you serve up Sunday dinner nearly every day of the week. It’s not special anymore.
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***Telegraph Sport’s Oliver Brown writes:***
Little can dilute the San Siro’s distinction as a soaring citadel of the game, a monolith whose giant concrete towers and protruding red girders often strike terror into the hearts of opponents. Except this enfeebled Milan team are ill-equipped to match the grandeur of their setting. Essentially a collection of Chelsea cast-offs, they have such scant hope of adding to this club’s seven European Cup triumphs that the loudest sound they elicited from the Curva Sud on Tuesday night was a shrill chorus of contempt. By the time Dominik Szoboszlai guided in a volley for Liverpool’s third, the place was half-empty.
Only 55,000 tickets have been sold, 16,000 fewer than for last Saturday’s Serie A game against Venezia. It is not quite the image Uefa had in mind when the draw brought two of the continent’s three most-decorated institutions together on the opening match day.
The first act of a transformed competition should bring a breathless atmosphere of renewal, not a bleak sense of ennui. But the abiding impression of [Liverpool’s routine 3-1 victory](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/17/ac-milan-vs-liverpool-live-score-latest-champions-league/), at the expense of a fabled enemy, is that Uefa has watered down the ingredients vital to the Champions League’s allure.
Take jeopardy, for instance. Under the old six-game group-phase format, teams would have a fair idea in September that 10 points would all but guarantee qualification for the knockout stage. Now they have no clue, with a [sprawling mini-league](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/16/champions-league-draw-when/) lasting until late January and only 12 of 36 teams eliminated without the chance of a play-off, how many will be sufficient. And so, just as Liverpool’s win was light on outright euphoria, Milan’s defeat could hardly be considered terminal. Such is life under this strangest of systems, where the imponderables outweigh the certainties.
**Read more:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/18/pricey-tickets-empty-seats-uefa-dilutes-champions-league/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/18/pricey-tickets-empty-seats-uefa-dilutes-champions-league/)
Greed from UEFA. Pure and simple
It has always been about money for these associations whether it be UEFA, FIFA, CONMEBOL. They say they are thinking about the fans bringing more pure and joy instead all they care about is filling their own pockets.
That’s what happens when you serve up Sunday dinner nearly every day of the week. It’s not special anymore.