MIAMI (Reuters) - Europe's top clubs say they will boycott Fifa's proposed new Club World Cup, leaving Fifa president Gianni Infantino's latest plans in serious doubt and risking a major split in the world game.
Infantino had hoped to get backing this week for creating two new, potentially money-spinning, tournaments - a new worldwide Nations League for national teams and a fresh 24-team Club World Cup to start with a "pilot" edition in 2021.
However, even before Friday's meeting of the ruling Fifa Council, he was forced to drop the Nations League plan after his own task force found there was no consensus for such a tournament and a lack of space in the international calendar.
Infantino still wants to move ahead with his plans for a "pilot edition" of a 24-team Club World Cup, with the council expected to allow the idea to move forward ahead of June's Fifa Congress which would be asked to endorse the plan.
But a letter to Uefa and Infantino from the European Club Association (ECA) head Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Italian side Juventus, and signed by 15 members of the organisation's board, including officials of Manchester United, Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam, made clear the opposition.
The letter, sections of which were published in the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung says they are "firmly against any approval of a revised Club World Cup at this point in time and confirm that no ECA clubs would take part to such a competition".
The ECA represents 232 European clubs, including all the leading teams who would be expected to feature in a Club World Cup.
The ECA says a decision on potential new competitions can only be made as part of an agreed framework for the international match calendar post-2024.
The ECA and Fifa were not immediately available for comment.
The Club World Cup is currently an annual seven-team tournament which attracts minimal interest in Europe - the centre of the football business.
Uefa, European football's governing body, is unlikely to fight Infantino's plans at Friday's council, with the proposal expected to be passed on to a further meeting ahead of June's congress.
But it is hard to see how a 2021 edition could go ahead without the star attractions - Europe's top clubs.
The Fifa Council is also expected to decide to continue exploring plans to expand the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams with the possibility of additional hosting in other countries.
Four fans get stadium ban, Football News & Top Stories - The
When teenager Rayan Clarke rolled a pass off the centre spot at Tottenham Hotspur's gleaming new stadium on Sunday it kicked off a new chapter for the storied north London club. It also marked the end of a long exile for Tottenham's fans, 30,000 of whom watched their under-18s take on Southampton in the first match at the 62,062-seat arena.
New chapter for Tottenham as stadium hosts first game - The
Striker Olivier Giroud said on Wednesday he has been approached by other clubs to play for them next season, but he added he wanted to extend his stay Chelsea. The Frenchman however pointed out that staying at Stamford Bridge would depend on if manager Maurizio Sarri could offer him regular first
Olivier Giroud demands important role at Chelsea FC next
Guardiola expects more twist in Premier League title race. Chelsea or even fifth-placed Manchester United in the title race. Spurs are two points behind City, in third, and five points off the
Guardiola expects more twists in title race - rte.ie
I do agree and have said so in many posts, the lack of control over the games is a major cause of our defensive problems. But even after that, individually the back line is not good enough. 1 vs 1, playing from the back, tracking runners, tackling the ball off the opp or generally dealing with technical players…etc All are glaring problems.
Starship Gunner - A free Action Game - Games at Miniclip.com
Football: Iran's main stadium to host women's national team
Zaha wants Champions League football (20th Apr) Wilfried Zaha was linked with a number of top six club last summer, but interest has cooled in the forward during the season. Despite this, it could be about to hot up again with the revelation that the 26-year-old is desperate for Champions League football.
NFL Power Rankings: Checking in at Start of Training Camps
JUST IN: Dembele takes part in full training ahead of United clash Viktoria Myznikova 1 month ago Sport 25 Comments Ousmane Dembele has trained with the team on Monday without experiencing any problems.
Zinedine Zidane will make a shock return as coach of Real Madrid after the club decided on Monday to sack Santiago Solari, say reports in the Spanish press. Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly met with the board and resolved to dismiss Solari, with Zidane set to be his replacement, nine months after the he resigned at the end of
Zidane set for shock Real Madrid return: Reports
Football News: Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt for Wednesday's Europa League final against Arsenal because of a knee injury, with coach Maurizio Sarri rat Chelsea sweat on Kante
Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League final
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/05/28/chelsea-sweat-on-kante-fitness-for-europa-league-final/
Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League final AFP May 28, 2019 AFP No Comments Baku (AFP) - Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt for Wednesday's Europa League final against Arsenal because of a knee injury, with coach Maurizio Sarri rating the French star's chances of playing in Baku as no better than "50/50".
Football: Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League
sportsloveme.com/soccer/football-chelsea-sweat-on-kante-fitness-for-europa-league-final/
Football: Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League final 05/28/2019 Chelsea , Europa League BAKU (AFP) - Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt for Wednesday's (May 29) Europa League final against Arsenal because of a knee injury, with coach Maurizio Sarri rating the French star's chances of playing in Baku as no better than
N'Golo Kante still not guaranteed Europa League final start
Qatar hammer hosts UAE before hostile crowd, Football News
The Rockets knew the winning streak would end eventually, but might not have seen the loss coming Wednesday, at home, to the Lakers. Maybe they should have. The defense had been slipping
After Laker loss to Pelicans, LeBron James frustrated with
0 comments:
Post a Comment