Michel Platini ... keen to revamp Champions League. - File

MONTE CARLO (Reuters):

UEFA PRESIDENT Michel Platini wants to give domestic cup winners a place in the Champions League.

Confirming a Reuters report, Platini said he would seek approval from the executive committee of European soccer's governing body in October to award cup winners across Europe a place in the lucrative competition.

Under the proposed shake-up discussed by UEFA's new Professional Football Strategy Council, England, Spain and Italy would be given an extra automatic spot in the group stage.

"This is not a revolution, but evolution," Platini told a briefing yesterday. "Of course there is some disagreement but I am just delivering on the promise I made ... which was to revamp the Champions League and open it up to lesser teams and smaller countries."

First meeting

Yesterday was the first meeting of the ground-breaking committee, comprising representatives from the national associations, leagues, clubs and players and Platini accepted he faced some opposition from the leagues and bigger clubs.

"We have decided to give the leagues and clubs an extra month to mull over the plans, so we have postponed the decision by the executive until the end of October," Platini said.

The former French international said he would like to see countries such as England, Spain and Italy with only three clubs in the competition. Currently they have up to four places.

Under the new system, these countries would transfer their fourth league place to their cup winners. As a way of compensation their third team, which normally enters at the qualification stage, would go straight into the last 32.

Separate qualifying system

The 16 cup winners would enter aseparate qualifying system which would run parallel with the traditional qualifying rounds for the Champions League group stage and when reduced to four teams, they would be given automatic spots among the final 32.

Last month the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) - representing the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga and Spain's La Liga, among others - rejected the plans on the grounds it would devalue their competitions.

"We have to protect the position of the leagues which are the heart of the game in Europe," EPFL general manager Emanuel Macedo de Madeiros said.

However, sources within UEFA and the EPFL said Germany and Italy, who expressed a wish to boost their cup competitions, were set to back Platini's plans in principle.