Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks today called for Scottish and Irish clubs to be allowed to enter the Worthington Cup, and for English football to introduce a two-week winter break.
Sheepshanks believes having the likes of Celtic and Rangers competing in the Worthington Cup would freshen the competition up.
The Ipswich chairman was speaking at the Football Expo trade fair in Cannes, where it also emerged that teams who fail to qualify for the Champions League second phase may not have the safety net of the UEFA Cup for much longer.
Sheepshanks, who also spoke of possibly limiting the amount of football on television, said: "This may be an opportunity to refresh the Worthington Cup format and invite Scottish or Irish clubs to participate, provided it carries the very important carrot still of a UEFA Cup spot for the winners.
"I am a great supporter of the Worthington Cup, but if there is some expansion of this sort it might capture the public imagination."
Sheepshanks warned however that moves to allow big clubs to opt out of the competition could lead to problems in terms of sponsorship and television interest.
On the issue of a winter break, Sheepshanks believes a two-week period after New Year should be introduced where no matches are played.
He added: "I am not advocating not playing on Boxing Day or New Year's Day because that's an institution but a break is needed.
PA