Paphitis: We'll get 'squiddly squab' from Europe

The straight-talking chairman said: "This game is not worth anything. We'll be lucky if we break even, in fact.

"If we get to the group stage, you can make a few bob but no great riches because it depends who you draw in those group stages.

"It's not like the Champions League. You could go to the group stages and make squiddly squab. I have managed to do a TV deal with (cable channel) Bravo. But it's no big bananas."

If Millwall make it through the first round and draw a German club in the group stage, they could make around £250,000 from overseas TV rights. Land a Turkish or Greek club and the most they could earn is £14,000.

A draw against another Eastern European side and the income could be as low as £6,500. So tonight is not about money. It's a welcome distraction that - like the FA Cup success - can improve the image of a club that have struggled in the past because of the behaviour of their fans.

At the end of this season the Greek Cypriot entrepreneur will step down as chairman to devote more time to his own businesses.

Millwall have just published their best ever financial results with a pre-tax loss of £103,000. The club have clearly come a long way since Paphitis took over eight seasons ago in the days of heavy debt.

But after last month's home defeat by Wigan, the businessman came under heavy fire from fans at The Den who believe there has been a lack of investment in the squad this summer.

"People think they sit in boardrooms with fat cigars, drinking their brandies, keeping a string of racehorses and mistresses, travelling everywhere on private jets and drawing huge salaries out of the clubs from the fans' money. The finances of football are not understood by very many. It is very difficult to explain to them that the chairman doesn't take a penny out of the club."

Last weekend's disappointing defeat by Ipswich has not helped the mood, either.

But Paphitis said: "There is always a suspicion of football directors. The reality Paphitis's successor will face next season is that with average crowds of just 10,000, Millwall are always going to struggle to get to the Premier League's rich table.

And Paphitis believes that - even if Millwall reach the Premiership - the club's fans have got to accept that they are likely to be relegated at the end of their first season.

He said: "There is no disgrace in getting relegated from the Premier League. The disgrace is being relegated-from the Premier League broke. "For clubs of our size, we can expect to get relegated in the first year or the second year. But that should not be a problem because if you are relegated wealthy, you can take advantage of the money to build yourself up to a stronger team which will get you promoted again and have a better chance of survival."

Even if Millwall win promotion this season, Paphitis will not change his mind about stepping down and his goals for the club's successor are very clear.

He added: "We have got to continue to have the ambition to invest every year in the type of squad that is going to give us success, irrespective of the number of fans we have got today. It needs someone who has the passion, the time and the ambition to take it on to the next stage.

"It would be tragic to have someone come and change for the sake of changing because we do have a formula that works."

For 90 minutes tonight, however, the club will forget the future and the money and think about enjoying an historic match.