Euro big guns back Pool bid to defend crown

PRESSURE increased on UEFA yesterday to include Liverpool in the Champions League next season after G14, the grouping of elite European clubs, called for the Reds to be allowed to defend their trophy.

G14 was the body that forced UEFA to expand the Champions League in 1998 by threatening to set up a breakaway competition and now they have thrown their weight behind Liverpool, one of their founder members.

A G14 spokesman said: “We support the desire to see Liverpool defend their trophy and the matter will be raised at our management board meeting next month. We believe UEFA should look at ways of allowing this to happen.”

The organisation is made up of 18 powerful clubs including Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich - as well as Manchester United and Arsenal - and a formal approach will be made to UEFA after the G14 meeting in Amsterdam on June 9.

Meanwhile, the FA’s chairman Geoff Thompson, who is also a UEFA vice-president, has continued lobbying for there to be five English clubs in the Champions League so Liverpool can defend their crown.

His main argument is that nearly all the 52 UEFA member countries would be given an extra place in the Champions League in similar circumstances - apart from England, Spain and Italy because they are already allowed four teams in the competition.

The FA believe that is an inconsistency in the regulations and that even if UEFA are not convinced on this occasion they should change the rules for the future.

Liverpool will have to wait three weeks before they will know their fate - the issue will be decided by UEFA’s 15-man executive committee in Manchester on June 17.

There is some hope for Liverpool because UEFA president Lennart Johansson is understood to be broadly supportive, and his influence is extremely important though not necessarily decisive.

Meanwhile, Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has vowed to support Rafael Benitez with a multi-million pound summer spending spree as he bids to make the club a force at home as well as abroad.

Parry insists there is no reason why Liverpool cannot successfully defend the Champions League if they are allowed to take part in the competition again next season by UEFA.

Up to £30m looks set to be made available to the Liverpool boss, with the club’s coffers boosted by their success in Istanbul, as well as a lucrative new sponsorship deal with Carlsberg.

Benitez could raise further funds by selling or releasing the likes of Vladimir Smicer, Milan Baros, Jerzy Dudek and El-Hadji Diouf.

Parry declared: “Being European champions will help enormously in persuading new players to come and there is no way that we will be resting on our laurels.

“There is rebuilding to do as, however magnificent it was to beat Milan, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we fell short in the Premier League. It’s a priority for us to get that right. We’ve got a plan and we’re working on it. There’s a very long list of players that we’re refining downwards.

“Rafa and I have been talking every day for the last week and more, even on the morning after the final. We know what we’d like to do and we will look to get there.”

Benitez is already close to his first signing of the summer, with Villarreal goalkeeper Jose Reina having revealed that a deal is almost done to bring him to Anfield.

Further targets could include Crystal Palace’s Andrew Johnson, Real Zaragoza’s Argentinian defender Gabriel Milito and Feyenoord’s free-scoring striker Dirk Kuyt.

Luis Figo, Owen Hargreaves, Peter Crouch, Matthew Upson and Albacete midfielder Mark Gonzalez have been linked, along with Pablo Aimar, Ruben Baraja and David Albelda from Valencia.

But while a lucrative new deal is set to be agreed with Steven Gerrard, Benitez will waste little time in trimming his squad, even after their Champions League success.