Champions League: Frank Lampard against the continental tournament reform proposed by UEFA [PHOTOS]

The coach of Chelsea, Frank Lampard, took a stand against the proposed reform project for the Champions League by UEFA, because that kind of closed league would increase the number of matches.

"As a coach, we always think about how to keep the players fresh," he explained during a meeting in London with representatives from clubs, professional leagues, player associations, gathered by the initiative of the Association of European Leagues, opposed to the project.

"If you ask me 'can we play more European matches?', personally, I don't see where we would fit them in our already packed schedule. I would find it difficult to maintain the same level of quality and freshness in the players," he added.

The former captain of Chelsea, with which he won the Champions League, added that "as a player, personally, I liked the current format and even today as a coach."

The project devised by the European Club Association (ECA), which brings together the richest clubs, and presented by UEFA last spring, has provoked the animosity of many clubs that could be left without options to participate in the European flagship competition.

The 320 participants representing especially 201 clubs from 34 countries and 39 leagues insisted that football "remains as the starting point" for any reflection on reform, "and not the distribution of income".

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