BRUSSELS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Dutch national soccer team coach Marco van Basten has proposed to set up a joint Dutch-Belgian Football league in a bid to counter the gap between the Netherlands and the big European football nations, Dutch media reported on Friday.

    "I think the Netherlands and Belgium should set up a joint competition. This way we can counter the (financial) strength of countries like Britain, Spain, Italy, France and Germany where they just splash money about," Van Basten was quoted as saying.

    "The big football countries are sucking us dry. In my time as a professional football player there were five Dutchmen playing abroad, now there are fifty. That's just not right," he explained.

    Currently the Netherlands and Belgium have their own league matches. Although both nations boast excellent soccer players, the performance of the leagues lag behind the top five leagues in Europe.

    According to the three-time European Footballer of the Year, the joint league should bring together the best 16 clubs from the Netherlands and Belgium. Enditem