Competitive imbalances: "The closed league is not a realistic solution" (Jacco Swart, Eredivisie)

"If we were to create our domestic leagues today, starting from a blank page, the closed league would theoretically be an economically attractive solution, like the North American professional sports organisations. But we never create anything from a blank page," said Jacco Swart, CEO of Eredivisie, to News Tank Football, after the first "Club Advisory Platform" organised by European Leagues, in Amsterdam (NED) on 23/04/2018.

The theme of this day of talks with clubs was the competitive balance of domestic and European competitions. Jacco Swart and Lars-Christer Olsson, president of European Leagues, answered questions from News Tank Football about the desirability of creating closed or semi-open leagues, at European and domestic level, in order to reduce the competitive imbalance within club, national, and international competitions.

"The history of European sport, and particularly football, has been built on the open league system, with bridges between the amateur world and the professional world, with access to the European cups for national champions, promotions and relegations…