SAINTS would be among the losers if the current Premiership television rights deal is deemed illegal.

That's the verdict of Hampshire MEP Chris Huhne, who has met the man at the head of the organisation investigating the Premiership's contract with Sky.

The European Parliament Commission is concerned that the Premiership's television rights deal is a threat to competition.

But Huhne warns that if the current deal - which sees all clubs sell a combined package to Sky - is scapped and individual clubs can negotiate their own deal, the rich would get richer and clubs like Saints would miss out.

Saints chairman Rupert Lowe is so concerned about the threat that he briefed Huhne on the subject before his meeting this week with Commisioner Mario Monti.

"The Commission is worried that the sale of TV rights as a series of packages by the Premiership clubs as a whole undermines competition," said Huhne.

"But if clubs negotiated individually, the only gainers would be the biggest clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal.

"Smaller clubs would lose their share of collective TV revenue and would be unable to maintain the quality of their squads.

"This would undermine the whole Premiership and the pleasure of fans because the big clubs would get stronger and the small clubs weaker."

Huhne is deputy leader of the UK Lib Dems in the European Parliament and economic spokesman of the European Liberal Democrats.

Commissioner Monti reports to the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee of the European Parliament, on which Mr Huhne sits.

Huhne believes there would be a threat to Saints' academy - which has produced the likes of internationals Wayne Bridge and Chris Baird in recent years - if clubs have to negotiate their own television package.

It is believed Saints plough around £2m a year into their academy.

"The first things to be cut would be support for young players and schemes to help community involvement by the clubs," he said.

"That is not in anyone's interest.

"Mr Monti promised me that he would personally look at the issue, and was now aware of the sensitivity of changes."

Huhne said it was crucial to get the question settled quickly or the Premiership would not be able to negotiate television rights for 2004/05.

"I am hopeful that there will be a reasonable agreement now between the Commission and the Premiership in the next couple of weeks providing that flexibility is shown on both sides.

"Some Commission officials appeared to think that the existing deals stop people seeing matches on television. But I told Mr Monti that the idea that there is a great unexploited demand for more television football has been tested and is not true.

"After all, ITV first tried running highlights in prime time when it won the package from the BBC but it did not work."