Amidst talks of a European Premier League in the works spearheaded by the management of Manchester United and Liverpool, FIFA Boss Gianni Infantino has completely played down talks of being interested in a contest of such stature.
There was information circulating about the possibility of FIFA backing the proposed European Premier League. UEFA were labelled as the prime opposition to the plan, owing to their intent of ‘saving football’ and in turn, the Champions League.
Now, the Champions League is the most-watched and talked about sporting event in the entire world. The fact that the competition has been running smoothly for over two decades in its current format goes to show how well planned the European competition really is.
On the other hand, the European Premier League seems like a greedy attempt at raising big money by United and Liverpool.
Here is what the FIFA President had to say regarding the proposed change in European competition:
“As FIFA president, I’m interested in the Club World Cup, not the Super League,” Infantino told the Press Association.
“For me, it’s not about Bayern Munich against Liverpool, but Bayern against Boca Juniors.”
The President’s words sound much more promising as a neutral football fan. There were talks about the Club World Cup expanding to as many as 24 teams, and a move like that would add to the importance of the annual event.
For Infantino, the mission is to bridge the gap between European football and the rest of the world. His comments on last year’s Club World Cup final are a testament to that fact.
“Liverpool have 180 million fans worldwide. Flamengo have 40 million fans and 39 million of them are in Brazil. Liverpool have maybe five million fans in England and 175 million fans around the world.”
“I want clubs from outside Europe to have global appeal in the future. That’s my vision: to have 50 clubs and 50 national teams who can become world champions.”
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