FIFA has issued an immediate response to the latest scandal engulfing Gianni Infantino's presidency, following a report that the governing body discussed having its name on the breakaway European Super League.
FIFA denies Super League involvement
The Guardian reported that documents seen by the newspaper explain that FIFA were exploring the possibility of rebranding the ill-fated competition to the "FIFA Super League". There were also plans to introduce a version of the Club World Cup, which would be held annually over a three-week period, and played in a straight knockout format.
In 2021, 12 clubs from across Europe signalled their intent to form a breakaway competition, which would, in essence, replace the Champions League. The move was met with widespread backlash.
Despite the claims, FIFA have pushed back, insisting they were always against the Super League from the beginning. In a post by FIFA's social media account, a statement read: "The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, in his address to the 45th Ordinary UEFA Congress in Montreux, Switzerland in April 2021, clearly expressed FIFA's strong disapproval of the proposed European breakaway league project."
Infantino under pressure
They reiterated a speech made by Infantino, which said: "At FIFA, we can only strongly disapprove the creation of a super league which is a closed shop, which is a breakaway from the current institutions, from the leagues, from the associations, from UEFA and from FIFA, which is outside of the system. There is no doubt whatsoever of FIFA's disapproval for this."
It comes as Infantino is attempting to fend off calls for him to step down as president, with suggestions he's even offered the 2030 World Cup final to Morocco as a sweetener for support. Fellow co-hosts Spain, as well as Portugal, have been part of an attempt to bring Infantino down, with UEFA members having voted to boycott the World Cup if the privatisation plans weren't scrapped.
FIFA acknowledges mistakes
FIFA have recognised their error in judgement, but have also called on the football world to move on. A statement read: "Mistakes made were acknowledged. It was agreed that it was not the intention for the Fifa council and Fifa member associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently. It was further acknowledged that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.
"In a separate letter to the Fifa council and Fifa member associations, an apology was made for these errors together with a commitment to ensure they do not happen again. A review will now be conducted, and a report will be presented to the Fifa council at its next scheduled meeting…
"There are always lessons to be learned, and Fifa will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done was done in full compliance with the Fifa regulatory framework. Fifa will work closely with the relevant stakeholders to examine how it can further support the development of the game through the Fifa Forward programme for the benefit of Fifa's 211 member associations, the confederations and the regional associations."
