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EPFL ends agreement with UEFA on Champions League dates

The European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) have voted to end a Memorandum of Understanding that had prohibited domestic matches from being broadcast at the same time as Champions League fixtures, the organisation announced in a statement on Friday.

The group claimed that UEFA has left it "no other option" than to strike down the agreement given recent decisions European football's governing body has taken.

In August, it made a series of reforms that favoured the continent's top leagues and the most popular clubs.

UEFA awarded four automatic Champions League places to the continent's top four leagues. It also took back the 11th and 12th ranked leagues' right to an automatic qualifier, and changed prize money awards to favour the competition's most successful clubs.

"The EPFL is of the opinion that the cooperation with UEFA for the development of European professional club football is essential," the statement read.

"However, the UEFA Executive Committee's recent decision related to European club competitions leaves the EPFL with no other option than to terminate the current Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations."

The EPFL's MoU will end in March 2017.