BEVERLY HILLS, January 21, (THEWILL) – World football governing body, FIFA, in collaboration with its six confederations, announced on Thursday a decision to ban any player from competing in any of their major international tournaments who joins and decides to play for a breakaway super league.
This announcement comes as speculation that Europe’s major clubs could form a lucrative breakaway competition have become prevalent over the last 12 months. A competition like that carries the significant potential to ignite such an unprecedented change to the domestic, European and global league structures as to make them inoperable in the form they currently operate.
Several clubs have been accused indicating interest in the formation of this League like English sides Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, who have been also tipped as potential members. Others include powerful clubs from across the continent as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
FIFA’s announcement immediately dampens the effects of these speculations across the football world while directly condemning the actions of anyone involved in the planning of the super league.
The joint statement of FIFA and UEFA, AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC read:
“In light of recent media speculation about the creation of a closed European “Super League” by some European clubs, FIFA and the six confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA) once again would like to reiterate and strongly emphasise that such a competition would not be recognised by either FIFA or the respective confederation.
“Any club or player involved in such a competition would as a consequence not be allowed to participate in any competition organised by FIFA or their respective confederation.
“As per the FIFA and confederations statutes, all competitions should be organised or recognised by the relevant body at their respective level, by FIFA at the global level and by the confederations at the continental level.
“In this respect, the confederations recognise the FIFA Club World Cup, in its current and new format, as the only worldwide club competition while FIFA recognises the club competitions organised by the confederations as the only club continental competitions.
“The universal principles of sporting merit, solidarity, promotion and relegation, and subsidiarity are the foundation of the football pyramid that ensures football’s global success and are, as such, enshrined in the FIFA and confederation statutes.
“Football has a long and successful history thanks to these principles. Participation in global and continental competitions should always be won on the pitch.”
Although, English clubs mentioned as part of the groups involved in the formation of the breakaway super league have not publicly voiced their support of the idea, this announcement will definitively preclude anything like that from ever happening in the nearest future.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
