Infantino faces fresh scrutiny over alleged FIFA role in European Super League plans

Documents reportedly show FIFA president Gianni Infantino was involved in plans to form a European Super League, despite publicly condemning the breakaway competition when it was announced in 2021.

The proposed tournament, involving 20 clubs, was unveiled in April 2021 as a project intended to bring a major change to European club football. It was designed to include 15 permanent members and five teams qualifying through an as-yet unspecified process.

The founding clubs named in the plans included Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

The proposal collapsed within days after an angry backlash from excluded clubs, football authorities and supporters around the world. Most of the clubs withdrew from the project, and the plans were abandoned.

At the time, Infantino told a UEFA Congress that FIFA strongly opposed the breakaway competition.

“At FIFA, we can only and 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, and which is outside the system,” he said.

However, documents reported by The Guardian are now alleged to show that FIFA was closely involved in discussions about the proposed league.

A term sheet dated October 2020 – a document usually used as the basis for a final, legally binding agreement – reportedly referred to the possibility of placing the FIFA brand on the new competition.

The Guardian also reported that FIFA was prepared to sideline its member associations while discussions took place over changes to international match windows. The organisation was also said to have bypassed those associations in relation to proposals for a new Club World Cup.

That tournament was intended to be staged annually and linked directly to the proposed Super League.

According to the newspaper, the documents refer to FIFA as “WO1”, a term used for senior officers in the British Army. The reported term sheet says the Super League was “open to discussing naming the competition WO1 SL”.

The paperwork also allegedly stated that FIFA would receive a “preferred equity stake in the Super League”. That arrangement would have given the governing body influence over changes to the competition’s format and calendar, as well as the appointment of a chief executive and the distribution of revenue.

FIFA has not provided a new detailed response to the claims. When approached by The Sun, the organisation supplied links to articles published in 2021, including Infantino’s comments at the UEFA Congress and a statement signed by the FIFA president and the heads of all six continental confederations.

That statement said they would not recognise any breakaway competitions operating outside the existing football structure.

The latest claims come a week after Infantino announced plans to auction stakes in the World Cup.

Those plans prompted a furious reaction from continental and national football associations, as well as from a number of people within FIFA. The backlash led to a rapid and embarrassing retreat by the Swiss president, who is now described as clinging desperately to power after a humiliating week.