Alternative to Champions League...

Politicians, clubs dismiss any talk of breakaway move

Europe's top clubs and European Union lawmakers denied media reports yesterday which alleged they were in discussion to form a new European super league.

Britain's Guardian newspaper reported "secret talks" took place between clubs and politicians at PSV Eindhoven's Champions League match against Arsenal in February with a view to developing an alternative to European soccer's top club competition.

Belgian MEP Ivo Belet - author of the European Parliament's report into the future of the game - was quoted by the newspaper as supporting the idea of a breakaway league during an interview with the BBC on Sunday.

"This is untrue and has been taken completely out of context," a spokeswoman for Belet told Reuters.

"There was a meeting, a very public one on the general issue of Ivo's report which was voted through last week. That's all."

G14, which represents 18 of Europe's most powerful clubs, also denied that its clubs are in favour of a new elite competition.

"Our clubs do not want to set up a breakaway league. The Champions League has the full support of G14. We do have issues with governance, money etc., but not with UEFA competitions," G14 general manager Thomas Kurth said.

Kurt added that the G14 - which includes clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Milan - first denied any plans afoot to set up their own league last year.

"Nothing has changed since this was first reported," said Kurth. "In fact things have improved somewhat between the two sides," he added.

On a visit to the EU assembly last week, Chelsea chief Peter Kenyon, whose club is not a member of the G14, also ruled out the possibility of a new European competition, said Irish MEP Eoin Ryan, a co-author of Belet's report.

"I asked Kenyon that question directly and he said there was no chance of this happening and the clubs were happy with the Champions League in general," Ryan told Reuters.

The newspaper said yesterday: "The talks were prompted by clubs' concerns over the findings of the Independent European Sport Review."

The report, commissioned by UEFA and EU governments is expected to form the basis of recommendations by the EU executive Commission on how sport in general should be run across the bloc which are due to be published in July.

A spokesman for UEFA, European soccer's governing body, said they were "unconcerned by the article in the newspaper".