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LONDON — Confronted with what they consider a power play by a group of wealthy soccer clubs to promote the Champions League at the expense of national championships, representatives of Europe’s domestic leagues will meet in Lisbon this week to discuss a strategy to protect what they say is decades of tradition, and a basic sense of fairness.
What the leagues fear, several officials said, is what they consider a behind-the-scenes campaign to reshape European soccer for the exclusive benefit of the continent’s biggest clubs. The leagues contend the proposed changes to the Champions League, which include new barriers to entry for nonelite clubs and schedule changes that would push matches onto weekend dates, will diminish the relevance and marketability of domestic leagues, and potentially render many of their matches irrelevant.