Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has forced his French counterpart Bernard Laporte to remove any reference in the joint statement of European Sports ministers calling for a European-wide 'super-regulator' of football. The Premier League feared such a move would lead to UEFA interfering in domestic clubs' finances.

Sutcliffe said: "It has been very successful. Everything we wanted to be withdrawn from the ministerial statement has been so we are very pleased with that.

"There is nothing in there now about the regulation of clubs as far as Europe is concerned. That is now a matter for UEFA to discuss with clubs."

However, UEFA president Michel Platini told sports ministers the organisation still needed the power to introduce rules on finances for clubs in their own European competitions.

Platini said the game's European ruling body had no intention of interfering with rules for domestic leagues but wanted to ensure "financial fair play" in their own competitions such as the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

If such as move was agreed it could eventually mean that clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool who regularly qualify for the Champions Leagues would have to satisfy UEFA rules on debts and even how much they spend on wages.

Platini said: "What UEFA can do - and we are thinking seriously about doing it - is to reinforce and improve our system for granting licences for our own club competitions.

"It is in this way that we wish to contribute to financial fair play, and start responding to the expectations of the various parties involved in our sport."