Arsène Wenger calling for changes made for the Europa League winner | OneFootball

Former longtime manager of Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, is calling on UEFA to change a longstanding rule for the side who wins the Europa League goes on to qualify for the Champions League. The rule has been in place since 2015.

Speaking on BeIN Sports, Wenger was asked if teams that win the Europa League should automatically get a place in the Champions League:

“No – they should qualify automatically for the Europa League again but not necessarily for the Champions League,” said Wenger.

“Especially when in the Premier League, five teams have already qualified for the Champions League. I think this is something that UEFA needs to think about and needs to review.”

Wenger, who guided the Gunners to three Premier League titles as manager and the Champions League final in 2005-06, is the FIFA World Football Development Director. Teams that used to win this trophy before 2015 earned an automatic place in the following Europa League campaign, regardless of their domestic finish.

Whoever wins the Champions League automatically earns a spot in the competition next season. However, that is not the case for UEFA international tournaments, as the winner of the Euro must qualify for the next one, just like every other nation in Europe.

That is also how it works at the FIFA World Cup. Up until the new millennium, every team that lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy earned a place in the next World Cup without having to qualify. That changed after the 2002 World Cup.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre