The draw for the Champions League final qualifying round raises the question whether Michel Platini and UEFA have done the right thing by giving teams from Europe’s less heralded leagues a better chance of reaching the money-spinning group stage.

On one hand, restructuring the qualifying campaign has opened the group stage doors to Latvian champions Venstpils, Cypriots APOEL Nicosia, Hungarian title holders Debrecen and Moldovans Sheriff Tiraspol.

On the other, it has pitted former European Cup winners Celtic against 2006 finalists Arsenal, with the loser confined to taking part in the Europa Liga, the continent’s second tier competition.

The new formula means the Champions League lucrative group stage will now have more champions from obscure countries on Europe’s soccer map at the expense of third and fourth-placed teams from the top leagues.

It gives unfancied teams a chance to boost their finances and close the gap on wealthier rivals, but it also runs the risk of depriving Europe’s premier club competition of some of its glamour.

Would you rather watch both Celtic and Arsenal in the Champions league proper or draw pleasure from seeing a pack of underdogs take centre stage instead?

And crucially, will the new qualifying format last long enough for the new arrivals to establish themselves as regular campaigners?

Give us your thoughts.

PHOTO: UEFA President Michel Platini gestures during a news conference at the end of the organisation’s executive committee meeting in Bucharest May 13, 2009. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura’s decision to snub a return to Yokohama and join Spain’s Espanyol left his boyhood club devastated.

Yokohama’s club president slapped himself with a 50 percent pay cut by way of apology to furious F-Marinos fans, but arguably the most surprising aspect of the protracted saga was Yokohama’s “shock” that Nakamura opted for Espanyol instead of them after leaving Celtic, where he won three Scottish Premier League titles.

The choice between playing against glamour sides Real Madrid and Barcelona or languishing in the backwaters of the struggling J-League was a no-brainer.

The 31-year-old had always wanted to play in La Liga, while Espanyol had been chasing the Japan playmaker for years.

Nakamura’s new club described their new signing as a “galactico,” heralding his arrival as every bit as important as Real Madrid’s acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.

Hyperbole aside, the move makes obvious sense for Nakamura, and Japan coach Takeshi Okada is unlikely to shed any tears for Yokohama ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Picture by Albert Gea/Reuters

You shouldn’t laugh, but it’s hard not to after the mighty Old Firm, soccer’s biggest domestic bullies, once again found they were not so tough when they are allowed into the big boys’ playground.

Celtic might stick it to Hamilton Academical and Falkirk on a regular basis but AaB Aalborg proved too good for them on Tuesday as a 2-1 win for the Danes ended the Glasgow club’s interest in the Champions League early - again.

Why do Scotland’s finest struggle to make any impact when a similar-sized club like Porto continually do well and Anorthosis Famagusta flourish this year?

The Aalborg defeat should not have come as a shock as Celtic have now managed one draw, and a remarkable 19 defeats from their last 20 Champions League away games.

Barry Robson’s opener last night was their first away goal in the competition for two years but it was almost fated that they should add the Aalborg Stadion to the long list of barren grounds with a Gary Caldwell own goal three minutes from time.

Tuesday’s result also ensured that, despite overcoming their travel travails to reach the knockout phase in the last two seasons, they would finish bottom of their group and not even have a crack at the UEFA Cup, where they reached the final in 2003.

Asked before Tuesday’s game whey Celtic had such a poor return from their Champions League away games, manager Gordon Strachan said: “The other teams have scored more goals than us and we haven’t scored enough. It’s quite simple really.”

My how they must have laughed at the razor wit, and perhaps had another chuckle when the simple formula was repeated a few hours later.

Even after what Strachan somehow described as an “unbelievable defeat”, he found a positive spin by saying: “We don’t need to feel embarrassed because there are a lot of teams around Europe who would like to be worried about their away record in the Champions League  but can’t get anywhere near it.”

Rangers, champions of Scotland just the 51 times, did not even get past the qualifying stage this season as they were undone by Lithuanians Kaunas, who coincidentally were knocked out by Aalborg in the next round.

But for suffering Old Firm fans, help is at hand in the form of a return to their never-ending duel for supremacy in the Scottish Premier League this weekend. 

And when everyone else is getting excited about the last 16 of the Champions League next year, Rangers and Celtic can fight it out in the Scottish Cup, where they might just add to their combined 102 appearances in the final.

PHOTO: Celtic’s Scott McDonald fights for the ball with AaB Aalborg’s Andreas Johansson (R) during their Champions League match in Denmark, Nov. 25. REUTERS/Henning Bagger/Scanpix

There has been a long-running debate about video technology in football and surely the time has now come to assist referees and linesmen with offside decisions.

This week’s Champions League matches featured several howlers. Both of Dimitar Berbatov’s goals for Manchester United against Celtic were shown to be offside by TV replays yet the Belgium linesman kept his flag down.

He then raised his flag for offside against Wayne Rooney when seconds later a replay revealed that Rooney was actually behind the last defender. (more…)