JAKARTA - The tight schedule of matches for English football clubs has made the President of the UEFA European Football Federation, Aleksander Ceferin, speak up. He suggested that the League Cup (Carabao) competition in England be removed to avoid clashing fixtures.
English teams compete in the FA Cup and League Cup every season, but the scheduling and formatting in the Carabao have drawn criticism, especially as the semi-finals are played over two legs which make the fixtures even more tight.
Liverpool were even forced to play their U-23 team in this season's quarter-finals as the senior team had to fly to Qatar for the Club World Cup.
Reds coach Jurgen Klopp has asked football authorities to rethink the scheduling of their major competitions.
"The League Cup has been written off in France. Only England remains. I think everyone knows that it would be better for everyone if the competition was not played again," Ceferin said in an interview with The Times.
The French professional football league decided in September that the League Cup would not be held again from next season, while Germany, Spain and Italy only have one cup competition.
"However, the problem is that through the competition, you finance a lot of clubs that are very behind," added Ceferin. "So I understand the problem."
"Britain is also quite traditional, they like things that have been around for a long time."
Manchester City recently won the Carabao Cup for the third consecutive season last weekend after beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley.
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