The European Clubs’ Association wants to introduce changes such as promotion and relegation to the Champions League

David Gill, one of Uefa’s most powerful figures, has expressed serious concerns to colleagues about plans by top clubs for a radical change of the Champions League.

The Manchester United director has warned fellow Uefa chiefs that to change the format of the competition to four groups of eight could damage the whole balance of football’s delicate pyramid.

The European Clubs’ Association is pushing for the change, which would mean 14 group matches instead of six, and promotion and relegation rather than all clubs qualifying directly from domestic competition.

Gill’s concerns, and recent statements by the Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, indicate that it is by no means certain that the ECA proposal will be waved through unchallenged. The clubs are meeting in Malta at the