Pressure on Uefa grows

Soccer/Champions League/Follow-up: Uefa came under increasing pressure yesterday to change its regulations to allow Liverpool to defend the Champions League trophy they won so thrillingly on Wednesday night against Milan in Istanbul.

Under current Uefa rules the holders, who finished fifth in the Premiership from which only four sides qualify, will not be permitted to contest next year's competition but following the spectacular conclusion to this year's competition a groundswell of opinion is building demanding that Uefa bend the rules to admit them.

The official line remains unchanged - "Rules are rules and they were passed for a very good reason," a spokesman said yesterday - but Lennart Johansson, the Uefa president is thought to be minded to find a way to admit Rafael Benitez's side. The Uefa president was lobbied by Football Association and Liverpool officials on Wednesday night and the matter will be discussed at an executive committee meeting on June 17th in Manchester.

David Moores, the Liverpool chairman, spoke to Johansson before and after the match and said he was confident of a favourable outcome. "I spoke to Mr Johansson at the game and . . . I would be very upset and disappointed if we were not allowed to defend it after giving a spectacle like that," he said. "He did say Uefa would let us know as soon as possible."

A senior Uefa source said the executive committee had the power to change the rules. "If the president decides he wants Liverpool to be the fifth English side in Europe, then he can try to persuade the executive committee to change the rules. It is in their power and he has definitely left the door open for discussion."

The FA chairman, Geoff Thompson, and Brian Barwick, the chief executive and a Liverpool fan, also spoke to Lars-Christer Olsson, the Uefa chief executive, at the stadium. "Liverpool are European champions and we believe as such they should get the chance to play in the Champions League next season," said Barwick. "This is a difficult situation but we had an extraordinary match, it's thrown up an extraordinary issue and it needs an extraordinary solution. It's a Uefa competition, it's not our competition and I'm sure Uefa will look at this in the future and try and seal over any holes or cracks there have been in the format."

Rule 1 of the Champions League regulations states each country can have a maximum of four entrants and, if the holders are not among those qualifying through the league, a national association can request their inclusion only at the expense of the fourth-place team, who have to drop down to the Uefa Cup. The FA has said Everton will go forward to the competition after finishing fourth in the Premiership.

Rafael Benitez, speaking before returning to Liverpool, said common sense dictated they should play in next year's competition. "It would be unbelievable to play in the Intercontinental Cup, the World Club Championship and the European Super Cup (all competitions Liverpool will now contest) and not play in the Champions League," he said. "If we win the Champions League it is because we were the best team now. Common sense makes this an easy decision (for Uefa)."

The British sports minister, Richard Caborn, said: "I have raised the matter with Uefa's chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson and said it would be a travesty if Liverpool could not play in next year's competition. Uefa should rethink this issue."

One solution would be to extend the qualifying rounds, which could mean Arsenal having to pre-qualify for the group stage. Under competition regulations the holders are always seeded first in their country. So, if Liverpool do get admitted, they will definitely not have to qualify.