Champion League: Is it really the league of champions?

Having seen Champions League involving soccer clubs all around the world, I am somehow perplexed to see the format of the T20 Champions League. Is it really the League that involves the champion clubs from all over the world? The answer to that is no. Just have a look at the soccer clubs that feature in UEFA Champions League. It comprises of clubs from all over Europe competing in away and home matches for the ultimate glory, that is Champion of Europe. Most importantly, they are the champion clubs from the respective European nations. After all Champions League involves champions, isn’t it?

Sadly, T20 Champions League does not provide equal representation from all the member countries. We have 4 IPL teams , 2 from SA, 2 from down under and 2 other teams (top 2 teams from the qualifiers) that make up the list. Even more startling is that clubs from few member countries like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are not even invited to participate in the qualifiers. Why can’t we have top clubs from all member countries competing in the CL? I mean that’s the concept behind the Champions league.

Moreover, 4 teams from India, 2 from SA and 2 from Australia automatically (this league was intiated by the boards of India, SA and Australia) make it to CL but teams from England, SL, Pakistan, NZ and WI have to fight out in the qualifiers. Add to that only one team from SL, Pakistan and NZ is invited for the qualifiers. As a result of which we have a situation where we have no teams from SL, Pakistan and WI in the CL this year. This is really ironical for we have no teams from countries which made it to finals of the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup.

I am not from the school of thought that believes that IPL and CL is all about money. I have no problem with the money quotient involved in such events. We should not regard these tournaments as just a money extravaganza. This is being unfair to all the players who play their hearts out when they take the field for their respective franchises. One should never question the commitment of the players, yes one or two might be exceptions. My problem is with the format of the tournament. Even though it seems to be a global event, it does not have participation from a number of member countries of ICC. This should be addressed and steps should be taken by those involved in organising this event to make it truly a global affair. We should have at least one team (top team in their country league) from all the member countries.

We can do away with this qualifiers or it can be used to add a couple of more teams (i.e runner up teams from different country league). This can make CL truly a league of champions. I have no doubt that this would make CL even more popular and it will increase its fan base. Hopefully, this thing is sorted is sooner than later so that real fans aren’t robbed of some breathtaking entertainment.