Gianni Infantino called for a special FIFA meeting to discuss an offer for control of a new club tournament.GETTY IMAGES
FIFA President Gianni Infantino called for an emergency meeting of the leading officials in int'l football to address a $25B rights offer from an investment group that "could radically change some of the biggest competitions in the sport," according to Tariq Panja of the N.Y. TIMES. In a "lengthy" letter sent to members of the FIFA Council last week, Infantino called for a special meeting with leaders of football's six regional bodies "as soon as this week to discuss new details of the offer for control of a new quadrennial 24-team club tournament along the lines of the World Cup," FIFA's $5B "cash cow," and a proposed league for national teams. Officials have "so far blocked Infantino from moving ahead with a deal" that he said had to be signed within 60 days, in part because he declined to identify the members of the int'l consortium, citing a non-disclosure agreement, and also because they are "concerned the event could compete with existing tournaments." It later emerged that one of the proposed investors is SoftBank, the Japan-based financial institution that runs the world's biggest technology investment fund. The full FIFA Council is expected to address the offer during an extraordinary meeting in early May. Emergency meetings are "rare and reserved for the most vital matters." The last time FIFA called its top board for an unscheduled meeting was in '15 "after several of the board's members were arrested in a dawn raid on a luxury Zurich hotel." Infantino's "rationale for the urgent meeting is twofold." He wants to "persuade skeptical officials to allow him to forge ahead" with negotiations on the proposed $25B deal. But he also wants to "calm some members who have grown angry over what they see as Infantino's aggressive pursuit of a deal" that would lead to the biggest restructuring in football in "several decades." Opposition from "powerful" European football officials and some of the continent's biggest clubs "remains strong" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/23). The BBC's Richard Conway reported FIFA is said to have held "promising" consultations in recent weeks with regional confederations. A source close to the organization said that if the governing body believes there is an "appetite for the competitions," it will invite its ruling council members to an extraordinary session. Europe's elite clubs have recently called for fewer matches, mandatory rest periods for players and the alignment of confederation tournaments but FIFA officials are confident their proposals meet those demands and have held "positive" talks with top sides in recent days. The source said, "Not everyone will agree with this but we want to give an opportunity to discuss the offer that has been made" (BBC, 4/23).
