Michel Platini

Berne: Uefa president Michel Platini’s proposals to revamp the Champions League face a key test on Monday when league, club and player representatives meet at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon to discuss the planned changes.

The 16 members of Uefa’s new strategy council will have a final chance to raise any objections before the new format is put to the executive committee of European soccer’s governing body in Lucerne on December 1.

If adopted, the changes will be introduced from 2009.

Promising to bring a wider international range of clubs into the competition as part of his bid for the Uefa presidency in January, Platini plans to guarantee more places to champions from outside the 12 highest-ranking countries.

He has also proposed a separate qualifying route for domestic cup winners who would be offered spots previously reserved for teams who finished high up in their respective leagues.

The latter idea has faced the strongest opposition from the top clubs and leagues, who asked for more time to consider the changes after Platini first unveiled them in Monaco in August.

Sources within the European Professional Football Leagues — which represents 25 of the continent’s top leagues — said this week that they were still opposed to the inclusion of cup winners in the competition. (Reuters)