Sacchi ‘totally against’ scrapping extra time in Champions League | OneFootball

Former Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi is ‘totally against’ scrapping extra time in Champions League knockout rounds: ‘Weaker teams would defend for 90 minutes.’

There are reports that UEFA is considering scrapping extra time in Champions League knockout games and going straight to penalty kicks to reduce the number of minutes played in a more and more packed schedule.

Ex-Italy and Milan coach Sacchi, however, does not agree with the plan.

“If they really want to protect the players’ health and make the spectacle even more beautiful, they just need to reduce the number of matches,” he told Gazzetta.

“Instead, I see that year after year, the schedule gets busier, which means teams can’t train as they should, and players inevitably suffer serious injuries.

“If the purpose of football is to entertain people, then we should play less and train more. This way, fans would watch high-quality matches played by athletes in perfect shape.”

Sacchi ‘totally against’ scrapping extra time in Champions League

epa11908713 Ryan Flamingo of PSV Eindhoven scores the 3-1 lead during the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs 2nd leg soccer match between PSV Eindhoven and Juventus FC in Eindhoven, Netherlands, 19 February 2025. EPA-EFE/KOEN VAN WEEL

Sacchi insisted scrapping extra time in knockout matches is not the way forward.

“I’m totally against it,” he said.

“They would be eliminating thirty minutes of pure adrenaline. As a result, it wouldn’t be good for the sport. Moreover, weaker teams would resort to obstructionism, defending for 90 minutes, knowing they could win through penalties. Adrenaline is essential if you want to experience intense emotions.

“I’m not saying this just because I lost a World Cup final on penalties in 1994 against Brazil,” concluded Sacchi.

“Taking a penalty after 120 minutes of exhaustion is tough, even for the best player in the world, and the result isn’t always fair. At that point, I believe the fairest solution would be to replay the match.”