SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has hit out at proposed changes to the Champions League, insisting UEFA risk turning the continent's top club competition into "an NFL-style closed-shop".

Last month, European football's governing body announced a raft of alterations to the tournament from 2018 including automatic entry to the group stage to four sides from Europe's top four leagues.

Celtic ensured their participation in this year's group stage after victory over Hapoel Be'er Sheva. While UEFA have confirmed the champions path, where domestic champions avoid sides from the continent's biggest leagues, has been preserved, Doncaster echoed concerns from the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL).

After a meeting in Amsterdam, which was attended by Doncaster, the group accused UEFA of breaching a memorandum of understanding over the proposed changes.

The SPFL supremo said: "Notwithstanding the welcome retention of a route to the Champions League for the SPFL's Ladbrokes Premiership winners, we absolutely share the EPFL's disappointment about the regressive and protectionist direction of travel for the world's most prestigious club competition.

"There needs to be a far stronger balance between sporting merit and commercial pressures, otherwise we risk an inexorable slide towards an NFL-style closed-shop system. We know that many of our counterparts in other countries share our concerns about the nature of the decision-making process and the lack of consultation with European leagues.

"UEFA has a duty to act on behalf of the entire game, not just a few, select clubs and leagues and it must take that duty far more seriously if it is not to risk presiding over a harmful fragmentation of the game.

"As we said recently, we will continue to be robust and forthright when required in fighting to protect the best interests of Scottish football on this issue, with today a strong demonstration that the majority of other European leagues share our view."

The governing body's changes to the competition rules are driven by discussions over the money brought in by the lucrative tournament and there are changes to how the cash will be distributed.

While the payouts are to be "increased significantly", there will now be a larger emphasis on performance with a decrease in share in individual territories. Payouts to clubs will be based on a mixture of starting fee, performance in the competition, individual club co-efficient and market pool.