Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell is utilising his influence on the European Club Association in order to fight to maintain a strong Scottish presence in European football.

There are fears that after the second cycle of the current European format comes to a close in 2024 that there will be a push for elite level clubs to join forces with large commercial organisations and pull away from the current UEFA Champions League format.

There have been suggestions muted of a Club World Cup that would be strictly by invitation only that would incorporate teams from only the top five nations as they look to maximise their economic draw . Such a move would have serious financial consequencies for Scottish clubs.

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Lawwell, though, is on the executive board of the ECA and was part of a group this week calling for re-balancing of European and domestic competitions.

A statement released after a meeting of the organisation's executive board in Warsaw yesterday afternoon has suggested that any expansion could be at the expense of some domestic matches.

"The model that emerges for the UEFA Club Competitions post-2024 should aim to strengthen the value of the competitions, while increasing the overall number of participating clubs and a greater certainty of matches for all,” read the statement.

That would appear to hint at lowering the risk of teams being knocked out after only a few games.

The organisation also suggested there should be a special focus on "reviewing the total number of games, release periods, confederation tournaments (dates and frequency), and a re-balancing between European and domestic club competitions."

The ECA statement added: "The aim must be to develop a new model which reduces the current burden on players and adapts to the new realities of the club game."