One of the Champions League's longest standing sponsors has called for more games to be broadcast on free TV.
Heineken — a partner of the tournament for the past 20 years — extended it's deal with UEFA on Wednesday, signing on until 2021.
The competition, which gets back underway later this month, is watched by more than a billion people worldwide.
But Hans Erik Tuijt, head of global sponsorship at Heineken, has called on European broadcasters to consider providing some games free of charge.
"I believe one game at least should be on public television," Tuijt said. "Access to all the other games you can buy. I am a big advocate to get solid reach, otherwise you won’t remain relevant."
UK rights to the Champions League are currently held by BT Sport, whose deal runs until 2018. The bidding process for the next set of rights is expected to begin next month.
Under the previous deal, terrestrial television channel ITV held some of the rights, allowing anyone to watch.
While Tujit clearly prefers a return to the previous set up, or something like it, there was no suggestion it was a condition of Heineken's sponsorship.
He added: "Heineken has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with UEFA for more than 20 years, and we look forward to continuing this.
"[The] UEFA Champions League in an integral part of Heineken's marketing activities, from Sao Paolo to Shanghai."
Heineken's deal with UEFA also includes the Super Cup.
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