http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35635477

WTF! These people seem to have completely forgot the point of sporting competitions...

Seen that today. Beauty innit.

Still want to go to the Nou Camp, though!

And the ongoing tax problems faced by some Barcelona players

Basically the fact they just dont pay them?

Been, a mass of concrete in an oval shape, nothing doing there

So the big clubs who fail to qualify would include Sheff Wed, apparently they are a big club

You look at that and think it couldn't happen and then you think about the money involved and the level of corruption at FIFA and UEFA...

On the tax thing it is incredible that a business the size of Barca can possibly say it is down to the players. Under modern anti-corruption laws a business has to be able to show that it took every reasonable step to ensure that there wasn't any misuse or misdirection of the funds it paid to others. If this pay is going to offshore accounts then Barcelona know that it is. Saying that you chose not to look into it any further isn't a defence on corruption charges and I doubt it si acceptable for tax evasion either. Depending on how rich you are of course.

If Pools are not in the champions league next season i'm burning my season ticket.

These clubs wanted to introduce FFP so owners of 'small clubs' could not fund champions league qualification and if they still cannot qualify they want wildcards as well.

Come on Leicester City!

Is it just me that's bored rigid with this competition? I will watch arsenal against barca tonight but apart from that not many of the games interest me. I hope the likes of Leicester take the place of man u Chelsea etc that will really cheese the big boys off.

How long before one of the mega-money Chinese teams wants in?

The whole thing bores me shitless now.

Even if it was on council TV I wouldn't watch it. Barcelona may be a team full of fabulous players but the games are so one-sided they bore the shit out of me. If, for example, BBC showed Raith Rovers v Elgin City I'd watch it, it would be as exotic as the European Cup was in the '70's in it's own way as I would know fuck all about both teams. On the BBC website it's easier to find out who Real Madrid beat 12-0 last night than what's going on in League 2.
The sooner the "elite" teams fuck off into some self-perpetuating money-a-thon/wankfest, watched only by people in S E Asia, the better. IMHO so there!

It's so incredibly boring. Who cares who wins...the game at that level is out of touch with real fans and is the offspring bastard of greed and the new breed of proxy 'fans'.

The European Cup should be the Champions from each League and knock out from the start over two legs. It's of course never going to happen as it's just like the Premier League it's now all about winning.

It is getting a bit tedious, how boring would it be watching Arsenal in it? Every year they get through the group then draw one of the big guns (usually Barcelona) and get knocked out. They probably spend about £300 on tickets to watch the home matches every year to watch the same thing. Barcelona might as just play the final against Bayern now and be done with it.

I think I am actually alone these days in enjoying the Champions League. That Arsenal V Barca game tonight was good viewing imo. I enjoy watching footy at all levels, I can't see why you'd just dismiss it because it's elitist or whatever. But as for what Bartomeu said earlier, yeah well it's what they all want isn't it at the end of the day, guaranteed success. It's incredicly stupid all the same and not just for the fact that Barca wouldn't actually need a wildcard anyway as long as they captilise on the dominance they have. 105,000 seater stadia, and a worldwide audience similar to Manure and Real Madrid, if you have to ask for a wildcard "just in case" it's taking the fucking piss.

Being impartial I quite enjoy some of the football especially we are now in the knockout stage, if you don't enjoy watching a team like Barcelona play well then you don't like football.

It's just the whole group stage thing and the same clubs dominating every year that's getting tedious, at least it was a knock out for the Champions of each country you'd get a bit more variety and unpredictability each season.

Yeah, assume as much, still wouldn't mind having a look, with the more alluring prospect of a weekend on the piss thrown in

I agree, the groups were only ever conceived for money making devices, and probably to ensure the "better" teams got through.

I've been just on the tour though, would love to see a game at it think the atmosphere would be amazing. Even though it's got 100,000 seats it all still feels quite close to the pitch as it has a really steep rake.

It's definately on the bucket list to try and get to a Barca-Real game at the Nou Camp, even though they are a bunch of theatrical, diving ponces.

Lets go back to how it used to be;

European Cup for the winners of every league irrespective of that leagues rankings (and should be knockout)
Uefa cup for 2-4 in the leagues
Cup Winners Cup for the cup winners in that country.

Lot better and you would get teams like Forest and Malmo etc again winning it and making things interesting. When was the last "shock" in the Champions League maybe Porto.

Whenever Barcelona are on tv the atmosphere seems non existent. Still like to go to the ground and see a game there though. How about instead of making the FA cup one game ties the big clubs come out and say were playing too much so European games are one off. Id love to see Leicester get into it, then play their reserve side and turn round and say where more interested in winning the premiership.

I saw a game at the Nou Camp/Camp Nou in October 2005. Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 5-0. Bit one sided, but Ronaldinho and Eto were amazing - Barca always seem to have wonderful attacking players. Great atmosphere in the ground too - Catalans aren't quiet people!

My mate booked the tickets from England and the seats were much better than I'd have expected - on the half way line, 3 rows back. They weren't a ton of money and all in all it was a great experience - I'd recommend a visit to a game there to anybody.

No mate, they've got their own. They play in the Asian Champions League against teams from Japan , Korea, Australia and some Middle East countries. Guangzhou Evergrande have won it quite often over the last five years. It gets them into the World Club Championship.

That's when they fall down against Bayern and Real etc.

I was sat 8 rows from the top at the Utd v Bayern match in 99, it was like watching ants kicking a pin head and I got stopped 5 times on the way in, checking my tickets?

I suppose they do from that height but the steepness does make it all feel closer to the pitch when at pitch level I didn't say it is close. Where they put the away fans in hilarious it might as well be in orbit it's that high up. I think I read the other week they've even added a plastic cage thing to stop people lobbing stuff to enhance the experience. I'd imagine the place would be absolutely amazing to play in though, especially if you were playing for Barcelona I'd imagine it's probably not that much fun if you are playing in Getafe's back four as they go 8-0 up.

Given the right seats though I'd like to experience a game there.

Me and our lass went to Barcelona a fortnight ago. £130 each for a return flight and 3 nights in a hotel less than 5 mins walk from Las Ramblas. Only downside was that the flight was from Manchester. Didn't have a chance to get to the Nou Camp like but I do plan on going back at some point.

I've sat in the middle tier behind the goal at the Nou Camp unfortunately it was Kluivert playing and not Messi and Suarez! Rivaldo was decent like