UEFA could be SUED for using new 'league phase' format for revamped Champions League

UEFA face a legal battle after introducing the new 'league phase' format in the revamped Champions League.

On Thursday, August 29, the 36 best teams in Europe will find out who they will face in the league phase of the Champions League.

For the first time since 1991, the competition will not begin with a group stage. Instead, all 36 teams - up from 32 - will face eight different opponents, four at home and four away.

The same system will be used in the Europa League and Conference League, though teams in the latter will face six opponents rather than eight.

Because of the complexity of the format, each team's opponents will be decided by computer, rather than using a traditional draw.

The teams will be ranked in one big 36-team table, with the top eight sides automatically qualifying for the round of 16.

Teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a two-legged knock-out phase play-off to secure their path to the last 16, while sides that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated.

The new system is often called the "Swiss model" due to its similarity to a format used in large chess tournaments, but it's not exactly the same as that would see a redrawing of fixtures after each round of games.

Now, Chilean sports consultant Leandro Shara has threatened to sue UEFA for the “unauthorised and unfair use” of the league phase format which he claims to have invented.

Shara says he copyrighted the hybrid system in Chile in 2006, and has argued that it should be called the “Leandro Shara System."

Shara alleges that he “presented the format to UEFA over a dozen times since 2013”, and presented the idea at several sports conferences. He says that he worked with football authorities in Chile and Peru on competitions that have used the format.

Shara has sent a cease-and-desist notices to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, secretary general Theodore Theodoridis and six other senior members of staff.

The Champions League draw will take place on Thursday afternoon. [Getty]

According to The Athletic, Shara demands that UEFA “indicates at the draw and all upcoming publications” that it is his format, invites him and three colleagues from his MatchVision company to attend the draw and lets him speak to the media.

He also wants UEFA to tells its member associations and commercial partners that they must respect MatchVision’s ownership of the format.

Shara has demanded that UEFA enters into a commercial agreement with MatchVision for the format’s use before the league phases start in September.

Shara gave UEFA until Wednesday, August 28th, to comply with his demands.

He warned that if the demands aren't met then a "lawsuit may be commenced against UEFA and the competitions may be jeopardised in one or more countries where UEFA members associations reside."

When contacted for comment, a UEFA spokesperson told SPORTbible: "The claims made by MatchVision are baseless at best, and are just another entry on a list of similar actions.

"UEFA will defend its position, though it is hardly worth the effort."