WITH the weather so bad in Britain it is obviously not a good time to be playing football. Yet, if Europe has its way, this will soon become the week in which the English FA Premiership's players emerge from winter hibernation and pull on their boots again.

No, it is not a crackpot idea from Brussels, this one comes from Geneva where UEFA are meeting the continent's football elite. As befits the city of Rousiseau, revolution is in the air. Not that the philosopher would have approved of many of the changes in mind, the `ancien regime' is under threat, but from the rich, not the poor.

Today's meeting in the La Riserva hotel, is UEFA's attempt to forestall a European SuperLeague, backed by television moguls and run by, and for, the cream of European clubs. The meeting has the potential to shape the destiny of the European game into the next century.

On the agenda are such subjects as the expansion of all three European club competitions, a reduction in the size of domestic leagues, a Pan-European winter break and a move to play all internationals at weekends. Only a few of these come from UEFA, most come from the clubs.

In recent years UEFA has embarked on a policy of aggressive expansion.

In the international arena it is taking on FlFA, within its own region it has shown a growing inclination to interfere and influence - as with the Intertoto Cup, the restrictions of foreign players, and various attempts to reduce the size of domestic leagues.

This has not been popular with either the clubs or national associations. In the past they have been unable to do much about it, UEFA and FlFA threaten to excommunicate anyone who challenges them through the courts - as the Welsh exiles have found. Now, however, the Bosman case has exposed UEFA's claim to be above the law. That, together with the enormous sums of money available from television, has empowered the clubs.

Two decades ago Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket showed it was possible to play top-class sport outside of the governing body. More recently the Australian Rugby League has found itself on the margins of its own sport.

While rugby league. a relatively impoverished game. was taken over by Rupert Murdoch football's big clubs are wealthy enough to ensure any link with television is a partnership.

Top European clubs have been making informal contact for some time. The Premier League have met their counterparts from Spain, France and Italy Post-Bosman they decided to hold a broad-based meeting at which point UEFA decided, in the words of one FA official, to head them off at the pass.

UEFA invited the 12 European associations who have been represented in at least three European finals to Geneva. Each association, who include the FA and SFA, could bring up to three clubs with them, each had to have been significant players in Europe in recent years. Representatives from Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen have travelled to Geneva with Graham Kelly and Bert Millichip, of the FA. Parry and SFA officials.

While the English contingent have gone with no fixed agenda they are likely to be keenly involved. The most radical proposal, which the Premiership will vigorously contest, comes from Standard Liege. The Belgian club calls for all domestic leagues to be cut to 16 clubs thus allowing all three European club competitions to adopt a Champions League-style format in the last 1-6.

This is unlikely to progress but some re-structuring of the European competitions is probable. UEFA's main proposal is to enlarge the UEFA Cup to 116 clubs. This would mean at least two, possibly three more English clubs being invited, and at least one other Scottish one.

While British clubs are naturally in favour of this the corollary is a July start date, which would almost certainly hasten a winter break. The revamped UEFA Cup would open in July with 54 lower-placed clubs (such as those finishing fifth and sixth in the Premier). The 27 winners would join 23 champions from those weaker nations (like Wales) not qualified for the Champions League, for an August round. The 25 survivors would join the three qualifiers from the Intertoto Cup, the eight preliminary round losers from the Champions League, and the 28 seeds (which would include the usual English entrants). There may also be a one-off final.

It would not be long for the Premiership's qualifying clubs to realise that playing two rounds before the English season starts is a significant disadvantage. The winter break, already favoured by several managers, would follow. With the Christmas and New Year programme a popular, and lucrative, part of the calendar the break would probably start after New Year's Day and run for a month. The English League, mindful of increased gates and publicity, would continue through January.

Other proposals include one by Rangers suggesting the Champions League dispenses with prequalifying and opens with eight groups of four. More radical - and greedy - is a plan under Any Other Business that all past winners should automatically qualify. This has been mooted by the likes of Barcelona and Milan, who, having failed to win their domestic leagues, are not in this year's competition. They may not all admit it publicly, but this would obviously be popular with Celtic, Manchester United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

Anderlecht, who have a number of African players, want Europe to align their calendar with the African one so they do not lose players. This is rather unlikely, though Leeds will sympathise. There will also, inevitably. be discussion on Bosman. Whether clubs will obey the foreigners restrictions in this season's European competitions is the immediate concern. More long-term there remains confusion over transfers.

Yesterday Tom Pendrey, the British Shadow Minister of Sport, met with Iain Sproat, his government counterpart and urged him to take a lead in Europe.