Borussia Dortmund Fans Protest UEFA's Champions League Reforms with Fake Money and Banners During Newcastle Game
Fans express concerns over increased number of matches benefiting TV revenues and associations at the players' and national competitions' expense; controversial reform set to expand Champions League from 32 to 36 teams and increase games from 125 to 189 in the season.
- Borussia Dortmund fans launched a protest during a match against Newcastle, throwing fake money and gold bars onto the pitch and displaying banners criticizing UEFA's planned Champions League reforms.
- The reform plans to increase the number of teams in the Champions League from 32 to 36 and the total number of games from 125 to 189 in a season, aiming at boosting TV revenues at the players' and national competitions' expense.
- The fans displayed a banner stating 'You don’t care about the sport — all you care about is money', criticizing UEFA, FIFA, PSG, and Juventus leadership for prioritizing profits over the sport.
- The Dortmund fans also promoted a website 'Reclaim the Game', which details supporter criticism towards the upcoming Champions League reform.
- This is not the first time Dortmund fans have made such protests; last year, they unveiled a 'Boycott Qatar 2022' banner during a game against Manchester City, opposing FIFA's decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar.