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Bayern CEO's Champions League knockout seeding idea questioned

Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs has questioned Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's call for the Champions League draw to be seeded in the knockout stages.

Bayern Munich CEO Rummenigge said he believed a seeding structure should replace the open draw for the knockout stages of Champions League, adding: "I've had enough of fate."

Speaking after his club's thrilling 4-2 defeat of Juventus after extra time in Munich on Wednesday, Rummenigge said he did not believe it was right that two clubs of such stature had met in the round of 16.

Italian champions Juve, who lost last year's final to Barcelona, went out 6-4 on aggregate to Bayern and Rummenigge told reporters: "Eventually, UEFA have to think about if they want to let fate take its course or consider something like seeding."

But Allofs voiced his disagreement and told reporters Europe's biggest club competition should not be a "closed society."

"Do we want sporting competition with all the imponderables? Or do we, from the start, want to know that Barcelona will play Bayern in the final?" he asked.

"I just don't think that can be our goal. I believe that all clubs who played in the round of 16 earned their place.

"And I think it's positive that it is not a closed society, where you can only see the ties from last season. This might sound less attractive in some cases, but I have also seen big teams delivering less attractive matches."

Earlier this week, Rummenigge told FAZ that clubs and UEFA were considering a third European competition to be placed above the Champions League and the Europa League, and were in a "discussion phase right now."