Claudio Ranieri sneered at the prospect of a Super League as Italy's football coaches association boss Renzo Ulivieri called for Juventus, Milan and Inter to be thrown out of Serie A.

Ranieri used Leicester City's against-the-odds 2015-16 Premier League title march and subsequent involvement in the Champions League as an example of an underdog having its day.

He was manager of the Foxes as they rose to that unexpected prominence, and it is something he fears would be impossible under the new proposals, with the Champions League being seemingly imperilled by such a rival competition and the biggest clubs set to see their incomes soar.

The Premier League 'big six' have confirmed their readiness to compete in the new Super League, along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Italian giants Juve, Milan and Inter. They would then be permanent members of the big-money competition, guaranteed huge annual payouts, but also plan to keep playing in their domestic leagues.

A backlash has followed Sunday's announcement, with concerns expressed by supporters, leagues, national associations, leading politicians, and even some players and coaches from clubs involved.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expressed reservations on Tuesday, although the Premier League title race front-runners have said they will enter.

Ulivieri, president of the Associazione Italiana Allenatori Calcio, told Rai Radio 1: "It is a dirty trick against the football system, even at the lower levels, designed to solve teams that have done everything wrong in the management of the clubs.

"This is a serious blow to the national championships. Juventus, Inter and Milan cannot continue to stay in Serie A.

"Juve have won many championships because they organised themselves better, because they spent more money but also because they made a lot of debts."

Ranieri, now coach of Sampdoria, said: "Reading what some European clubs want to do, the first thing that comes to my memory is precisely the feat accomplished by Leicester.

"Regardless of the fact that I was involved too, it was a result obtained by the smallest who managed to compete with the great giants of the football world. In my opinion this spirit represents the essence of sport."

Former Chelsea boss Ranieri added, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport: "What they are trying to do is wrong. Maybe they are doing this to cover all the debts they have.

"I hope that FIFA and UEFA have the tools to combat this big, bad thing."