Future of Intertoto in doubt

THE future of UEFA's unpopular Intertoto Cup is hanging in the balance after being continually snubbed by the major football associations.

Although the first year of the competition did attract half-hearted entries from some English and Scottish clubs, none took part last year and none will this season.

And as the third Cup prepares to get underway at the end of the European domestic seasons, with even fewer recognised clubs taking part, UEFA are considering withdrawing their support.

UEFA general secretary Gerhard Aigner said: "Three years is certainly long enough to evaluate the competition.

"It is now up to the executive committee to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and to decide whether UEFA can afford to support the UEFA Intertoto Cup."

"While the financial viability of the competition is not an influential factor for UEFA, the criterion that a true international competition has to arouse the interest of all our associations does matter."

Aigner, writing in the monthly UEFA newsletter, said the competition suffered from the absence of clubs from the large associations, but did provide a European introduction for clubs with no experience of Continental football.

The finalists of the Intertoto qualify for a place in the UEFA Cup and one club who qualified in that way, Bordeaux, made it all the way to the UEFA Cup final last year.

But British clubs have not entered the competition, preferring to give their players a rest in the off-season.