Chapter 203: Champions Cup Group (Part 2)

From the beginning of the European Club Cup in 1955, the Frenchman Gabriel and Yano advocated the establishment of fixed events between European clubs - the European Club Cup began, and to the 2005-06 season, the UEFA Champions League experienced fifty years of history. In these fifty years, the Champions League has gone through many changes from nothing to something, from cup to league, the name changes and the repeated adjustments of the competition system.

But what remains unchanged is that this is a game that symbolizes the highest honor among European football clubs.

Perhaps there are fans who often argue about which country has the highest league level and which country's league is the No. 1 European league. But when it comes to the highest honor of the club, no one will question the authority of the Champions League.

In the past few years, even in football, there was even such a saying: the viewing, level and authority of the World Cup are not as good as the European Champions League. There is also an extreme saying, hoping to cancel the World Cup and watch the Champions League.

Of course, this is too ridiculous and no one takes it seriously.

However, this shows the status of the Champions League.

For today's football clubs, participating in the Champions League is not just about honors, it is more about a club's financial budget for the new season.

A large amount of ticket revenue, TV broadcast dividends and bonuses for each game have made many clubs aim to enter the Champions League as their highest goal. Many small teams in small leagues can reap countless money as long as they can enter the Champions League once. It can even be said that if a team in a financial crisis breaks into the Champions League, it is likely to bring the team back to life.

This is the power of money and the power of the Champions League.

This is still quite attractive to the current Forest team.

Evan; Dogette is not Abramovich, and he cannot invest money in the club without limit. He does not have the ability to make the club lose 100 million pounds a year and still win the championship. He lives a very comfortable life.

Participating in the Champions League is a very beneficial supplement to the Forest team's finances. Forest team will have more funds to invest in the transfer market. Invest in the daily club operations and facilities construction.

In Allen's fiscal budget report to Evan, it was pointed out that as long as the team can enter the Champions League game every season, the club's financial situation will continue to improve. No need to rely on Evan's personal investment, the club will be self-sufficient and profitable.

There are two key points in the grouping of the Champions League. One is to establish a seed team to ensure that strong teams do not meet too early. The other is that many people know it well but are inconvenient to make public - artificial control of the lottery.

Is it fair to draw lots? Not necessarily, draw lots are also a factor of human control. The first proposed approach was for "political considerations" to avoid teams from certain politically tense countries being assigned to a group.

For example, at that time, the Soviet Union and Albania, Greece and Türkiye. Later, the political influence gradually faded, and artificial control became the main means to ensure box office and broadcast revenue.

Don Ng absolutely does not believe that it was a "coincidence" that Chelsea and Barcelona met together for three consecutive years. Everyone likes to see Barcelona, ​​the representative of artistic football, and the competition with the upstart Chelsea, the draw result also satisfies everyone's wish.

Of course, this draw is not a group stage draw, but another draw after entering the knockout stage. Barcelona and Chelsea were drawn together for two consecutive times, and the third time he directly placed these two enemies in the same group.

This is what Don En remembers. In the Champions League last season, in the quarter-finals. Chelsea eliminated Barcelona in two rounds, and the two teams formed a feud.

He had no idea about the draw of the Champions League group stage this season, so he could only sit here and wait for the results to occur.

The Champions League group stage is divided into eight groups, which are synonymous with the English letters a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h. Each group has a seed team.

UEFA will divide thirty-two teams into four levels, first decide the seed teams of each group, and then draw out the four teams of each group in different levels.

The seed team in Group A is Serie A "old woman" Juventus.

The seed team in the group B is the La Liga giants Barcelona.

C group seed team is England's "Gullers" Arsenal.

The seed team in the group d is Real Madrid, the "Galaxy Battleship" that won the most championships in the Champions League.

e-group seed team Italian giants AC Milan.

The f group seed team is England's "Red Devils" Manchester United.

G group seed team is a traditional English strong team Liverpool.

The h group seed team comes from Milan, Italy - Inter Milan.

After determining the seed teams of eight groups, other teams began to be drawn.

As small balls were taken out of the glass jar and opened, notes with the club name written on them were displayed in front of the TV camera and then sent to the large screen on site. There were constant sounds of surprise, joy and complaining.

Fate's hands fiddled with the ball in the box, and also fiddled with the mood of all the coaches present.

Because the Forest team entered the Champions League again in 24 years, no matter how brilliant they were twenty-four years ago, they can only be regarded as the fourth-level team now, and they will be drawn in the end.

Mourinho's Chelsea was ranked second by the team. When the person in charge of drawing the group opened the G, the second person then drew a note with "Chelsea" written on it, and a large-scale commotion rang out for the first time.

In the Champions League last season, Liverpool eliminated Chelsea in the semi-finals and made it to the finals to create that classic reversal. Unexpectedly, the two enemies met again today. Someone whistled and gloated.

Some people watched the show coldly. Mourinho had a stern face and expressionless, while Benitez frowned.

Who can believe that UEFA draws are not manipulated?

At least Mourinho and Benitez don’t believe it now.

Donn thought of what Mourinho said to him before: "The chances of teams in the same national league being in the same group are too small."

This is really a comedy. He also laughed with the others.

But Tang En's laughter did not last long. Soon he frowned.

The draw for the fourth-level team started, and the first letter to be taken out was "d". Which unlucky guy will be in the same group as Real Madrid, Benfica and Lille, and become the target of their robbery?

The second man took out a small ball from the box, opened it, took out the folded paper, glanced, flipped it and showed it to the whole audience, and at the same time reported the team name:
Chapter completed!