Let's have a real Champions League: Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called for a "real Champions League", a new slimmer version of the competition containing only the winners of the leading domestic leagues in Europe.

"I believe we want to go forward and create a European League because that would create real interest for the television companies," Wenger told British newspapers on Tuesday.

"We mustn't kill domestic leagues and must retain the link between the national leagues and Europe. That's why we have to create a shorter European League of nine or 10 clubs, a real Champions League, even if that means getting bigger squads.

"People want to see the best teams against the best teams, and they need to be convinced that's what they're seeing," the Frenchman said.

UEFA, European football's ruling body, announced in July that the second group phase of the Champions League would be scrapped from the 2003-04 season.

The current first phase of 32 teams drawn into eight groups of four clubs would be maintained, UEFA said, but the second phase involving 16 teams would become a straight two-legged knockout competition with home and away matches.

"What they are proposing is not the right formula," Wenger said on Tuesday. "The formula we have at the moment is not attractive to all the television broadcasters.

"It leaves you with two choices, go backwards or forwards. And I believe what they are proposing is a regressive step."

Wenger's Arsenal side won the English premier league and FA Cup double last season.