Hi,
Sam I can see your point about CSKA winning the Uefa, but they have also competed very well in the Champions League proper, unlucky to go out in the group stage this season. In another group, they would have made it through.
The reason they are a strong side is because they have the money to back big signings. Football is all about money now at the highest level, we cannot change that in my opinion. The big European teams get the big TV deals because they are the teams that most people want to watch. For all their rich history, games such as Steaua Bucharest vs Shaktar Donetsk just don't get the pulses racing for the TV viewing public in the main.
The best bit about the Champions League in my opinion is the fact that you get huge games every year involving the teams with the most succesful history, the most fans, and the best players. Of course, these happen to be the richest teams as well, but this is inevitable after football ingratiated itself with capitalism.
The Champions League can still produce shocks of a sort, who would have predicted Liverpool winning in '05? Or Porto v Monaco as the final in '04?
In my opinion having less wealthy, weaker teams in the competition will just lead to to a weaker competition. The majority of Eastern European teams do not have the financial infastructure or global fan base to compete at the top level, the 4th, 5th placed teams in the strongest leagues do.
In my opinion, even if the Champions of Serbia, Croatia, Moldova etc were allowed straight through to the group stage, it wouldn't stop the exodus of their top players to the top European sides and leagues. Footballers are like WAGS, they go where the money is.
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