Aleksander Ceferin, the UEFA President, stated on Tuesday that he was open to a conversation about playing significant UEFA Champions League matches in the United States. Ceferin said in an exclusive interview to ” men in Blazers” that he wouldn’t rule out a portion of the biggest annual football event outside of Europe.
Ceferin stated in an interview that “it is possible Champions League will be played in the U.S. Let’s wait and see. It’s possible, it’s possible.”
Ceferin brought up the idea of possible European club matches in season in the United States of America in 2016. Gab Marcotti, a journalist, said that this topic was again discussed last fall during UEFA ExCo Meetings in Croatia. Later, at the European Club Association meeting in Istanbul. Ceferin had told reporters in September that there were no discussions regarding the playing of Champions League matches outside Europe. Ceferin stated, “I’d be aware if any discussion was held about playing Champions League matches outside Europe. I don’t know anything in relation to that”.
Ceferin stated in an interview with Roger Bennett that he was aware of the value of the U.S. sport market. “Football has become extremely popular in the United States.” He said. The Americans will pay [highly gestures with hand] this amount for the best, and nothing less. They will then follow European football just as European basketball fans follow NBA. This is a promising future market. We are very good at selling rights. The U.S. is currently not very good at sponsoring, but commercialisation in the U.S. is different from that in Europe. “They are more talented than we Europeans.”
Ceferin acknowledged that he believes that U.S. television rights will grow in this regard. He said: “What surprised me is that more Americans watched the Euro 2020 Finals, Europe National Team Finals, than NBA finals. It shocked me that the viewership of 30 Euros matches, each match was equivalent to Super Bowl. So, I believe we’re doing well. It’s the time difference that’s the problem. If you’re playing on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 o’clock in ET, but noon in L.A. Pacific, then it’s an issue. If the hours were different, we would get a much larger audience.
Who will be in the semi-finals of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League?
UEFA Champions League semi-finals schedule
It’s almost impossible to imagine a more exciting final four for the Champions League. Real Madrid will face Manchester City, the best of Europe. Manchester City will be a battle between the magical Pep Guardiola and the elegant Carlo Ancelotti.
The Derby della Madonnina will be fought for by Inter Milan and AC Milan. AC Milan has been crowned Champions at San Siro for the past 20 years.
The first leg of the Semifinals will be played on 10 May at 12:30 AM (IST). Real Madrid’s first match will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu against their English rivals. AC Milan will play their old rivals Inter Milan in the first leg of the match at San Siro.
The second leg will be played at 12:30 am (IST) on May 17. The Second Leg will be played at Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City will play Real Madrid. Inter Milan will play AC Milan for the second leg. The semi-finalists will meet in the finals at 11:59 (IST) on both June 11th and 12th. The match will be played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul.
