G14 oppose Platini's Champions League reform

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's most powerful clubs will not back UEFA president Michel Platini's plan to give domestic cup winners a place in the Champions League, the G14's general manager Thomas Kurth said on Thursday.

Following a meeting of the general assembly of the G14 -- which has 18 members including Manchester United, Barcelona and AC Milan -- Kurth said the majority of those present did not agree with the plans proposed by European soccer's top official.

"We are opposed to giving the cup winners a place in the Champions League. We don't see why cup winners should play in this competition," Kurth told Reuters.

"We are very concerned about the quality of the competition and the damage this could cause."

A UEFA spokesman said European soccer's governing body was "not overly concerned" by the G14's stance.

"We, of course, take on board everybody's views and we will wait to see what the G14 come up with as an alternative," the spokesman said.

"But we are confident that we have enough support from the majority of clubs across Europe for this reform."

Platini's proposals would give 16 cup winners a separate qualifying route into the Champions League and an allocation of four automatic places in the lucrative group stages.

The proposed shake-up was discussed by UEFA's Professional Football Strategy Council last month but after some opposition from the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), Platini deferred the final vote by UEFA's executive by one month.