The Barcelona president believes elite clubs who have a "bad season" should be given the chance to play in Europe's elite club competition, calling on Uefa to tweak its rules
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has called for the Champions League to introduce wildcards for elite clubs who fail to qualify for the competition.
The La Liga giants are preparing to take on Arsenal in the round of 16 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, and are widely regarded as the frontrunners to win the trophy in 2015-16.
However, Bartomeu believes that clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United, who both appear set to miss out on the 2016/18 edition of Europe’s elite club competition – the Blues sit 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the Premier League, while United are six points off their fierce rivals – should be afforded the safety net of a wildcard in future seasons.
"Sometimes, for the interest of football, why not give wildcards like in tennis," Bartomeu told BBC Sport. "Sometimes the top players don't qualify and are given wildcards for the interest. This can happen in football. That is the decision of Uefa.
"Sometimes, clubs have a bad season and it is a big punishment to not play in the Champions League. We need a stronger Champions League and more and more interest for the football fans and to make it more competitive.
"The Champions League is the biggest competition and most important one."
Barcelona topped Group E to book their tie with the Gunners, winning four and drawing two of their six Champions League games.
- Goal