It's a story that will surely make Europe's biggest clubs break out in a cold sweat: Fifa and Uefa executive committee member Michel Platini has declared he will abolish the Champions League if he ever becomes Uefa president.

The former French international, also the French Football Federation's (FFF) vice-president, says the current format of the European competition is too elitist and advocates a return to a system where traditional powers are treated on an equal footing with so-called minnows like Malta or Andorra.

"I want only one competition with 256 teams which will face each other according to the direct elimination system," he told Sunday's edition of German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

"The European cups the way they are today are just a closed circus. The more matches there are, the more certain it is that big clubs win the competition but Bayern Munich should also play in Malta and in Georgia."

Platini, tipped as a future head of either Uefa or Fifa, also claims he intends to limit the influence of the G-14, made up of the 18 richest European clubs, on the football scene.

"We also have to talk with the G-14, but never should they obtain an official role," he said. "Only Uefa and Fifa have the legitimacy to gather the international federations."

It is the pressure exerted by the G-14 clubs that has been instrumental in moving the competition towards its present format, heavily weighed in favour of the big footballing nations.

During Platini's playing days, the competition ensured every nation was on an equal footing with only the champions of each domestic league admitted.