UEFA to stage Under-19 Champions League

UEFA have confirmed they are to launch an Under-19 shadow Champions League tournament from 2013.

The competition seems to have been set up to limit the growing influence of the NextGen series, which last year included Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus, in addition to Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.

UEFA’s tournament will be limited to the 32 teams that qualify for the Champions League proper, with the same group composition and calendar.

The knock-out phase will be played as single leg ties, with the semi-finals and final held at neutral venues.