PSG ask Canal Plus to only back them

PSG face losing top stars like Nicolas Anelka if they cannot compete in European games after UEFA banned the French club from next season's UEFA Cup.

Paris Saint Germain are lobbying for parent company Canal Plus to sell its Swiss club Servette to allow it to compete in the UEFA Cup by qualifying through this summer's Inter Toto competition.

Three Inter Toto winners will reach the UEFA Cup and PSG want to be one of those after paying out £55 million in transfer fees last summer and then failing to challenge for the French title.

PSG will argue to Canal Plus that the cable television company's massive investment in the French club means it should sell its share in Servette to stop what UEFA feel is a potential conflict of interest.

PSG president Laurent Perpere says:

"First of all, we have not yet qualified for the UEFA Cup. And if we did qualify, it will then be time to see whether Canal Plus remain Servette's main shareholder," he told PSG's official website.

PSG will play Finnish side FC Jazz in the second round of the Inter Toto Cup on July 1st and 8th in Toulouse to use up part of a two match ban after crowd trouble at a Champions League match against Galatasaray in March.

Three years ago AEK Athens and Slavia Prague were banned from the UEFA Cup as they were both owned by the ENIC investment compaay which has since concentrated its football interests on ownership of Tottenham.