The European question

This idea was taken on to the European stage by the Milan-based Media Partners, owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who recruited Europe's top 14 clubs into a loose, financially driven association.

Their stated aim is "to maximise television revenue from the Champions League" (principally for themselves).

The man behind the idea, readers will recall, is the same Berlusconi who lobbied UEFA to provide his team (AC Milan) with a wild card entry to the Champions League when they failed to qualify for the most lucrative club football competition on earth.

The television rights for the Champions League are worth around £1.4 billion and, as Standard Sport revealed two weeks ago, this year's competition will see roughly one third of this money distributed to the 32 qualifiers.

Having secured the lion's share of the Champions League income, the haughty ambition of G14 members has now led them to suggest that they should be guaranteed entry into Europe's premier club competition. Clubs with impressive historical playing records are seeking automatic entry into the Champions League. The reason? They're marketable - and they have to spend a lot on players' wages.

Of course, the G14 does contain most of the all-time great clubs, but to suggest that their current strength of following and ability to generate domestic revenue should become the criteria for these elite sides to play in the European Cup would make a mockery of the already debased competition.

This season, the top four finishers in the Premier League will be entered into the Champions League.

The G14 won these restructuring concessions from UEFA, who will not sanction any further change until the current television contracts expire in 2003.

However, a new European Super League (ESL) is being mooted, comprising 16 teams and the guarantee of £23m per team, per year in a competition that would run parallel to domestic competitions. The implicit threat of an ESL may turn out to be no more than a G14 negotiating tool when the new television deal is finalised, but UEFA are paying close attention to developments.

This latest idea is the work of Spain's Telefonica and the usual media suspects who would provide the initial funding for the ESL, recouping their outlay by screening games on pay-per-view channels. Effectively, with 30 ESL games per season, domestic leagues would be reduced to 'B' team games.

The threat of an ESL is likely to be used to extract more concessions from UEFA in two years' time, because apart from seeking guaranteed entry, G14 clubs are looking for an increase in revenues for playing fewer games.

Furthermore, they are suggesting that their own marketing company, the Swiss-based Team, be allowed to sell the Champions League broadcast and marketing rights.

This received short shrift from Gerhard Aigner, UEFA's general secretary, who said: "We do not need advice from G14 on how we should deal with the commercial marketplace."

Yet, while there would be guaranteed income from an ESL, this could fall woefully short both of what they are expecting and what they currently receive. Expelled from all UEFA-affiliated competitions, including domestic league and cup competitions, club revenues would plummet.

Consideration would also have to be given to any attempt to create a closed shop, bearing in mind that the ESL would not want to bother with the nasty business of promotion or relegation for its pampered members. Any legal challenge under EU law would almost certainly refer to the laws concerning abuse of a dominant position as defined in Article 86 of the Treaty of Rome.

The G14 plan world tours, hybrid tournaments, joint marketing arrangements and continue to veto attempts to enlarge the group to make it more representative of European football.

How some of the sides gained entry into this exclusive group is something of a mystery. Nottingham Forest and Benfica, for instance, have enjoyed more European successes than either Porto or Marseille, but are not included. A bulging bank balance and helpful media contacts count for more.