Top 14 threatens Champions Cup boycott

FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 file photo the Euro soccer championships trophy is seen in front of the logo during the presentation of Munich’s logo as one of the host cities of the Euro 2020 European soccer championships in Munich, Germany. UEFA, are set to make a final decision when the UEFA executive committee meets on Tuesday March 17, 2020 after talks with clubs and leagues, about possibly delaying the Euro 2020 soccer tournament by a year as the continent grapples with the outbreak of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

French Top 14 clubs could boycott next season’s European Champions Cup if they are stopped from having eight sides in the competition, newspaper Midi Olympique reported on Monday.

The league wants an increase from the usual six outfits in the top-tier continental competition so record 20-time French champions Toulouse, who were seventh in the table when the Top 14 was declared over in April, and Montpellier who were eighth, can feature in it.

The EPCR, who run both the Champions Cup and second-tier Challenge Cup, are considering reform for next season due to issues regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Options include increasing the main tournament from 18 to 24 teams, which is the preferred solution for French sides, but the English Premiership and the Pro14 also have unresolved problems with both leagues postponed.

“We have particularly attractive formats available to us to do it. We will adapt in the common interest,” EPCR president Vincent Gaillard told the paper.

This term’s Champions Cup has been put on hold at the quarter-final stage due to COVID-19.