Football
ESPN staff 6y

FIFA heard $25 billion offer for Club World Cup, new league - report

An investment group has offered FIFA $25 billion for the rights to conduct an expanded Club World Cup as well as a new league for national teams, according to the New York Times.

Gianni Infantino, the president of world football's governing body, revealed the proposal to the FIFA Council in last month's meeting in Colombia, the newspaper reported.

However, he left out details including the identities of the consortium -- calling them only investors from the Middle East and Asia -- and the board reportedly requested more information before moving forward with Infantino's motion.

Under the plan as reported, FIFA would relinquish control of the tournaments to the investment group, including ticket sales, broadcast rights, sponsorships and host selection.

The Club World Cup is currently under review, and a written proposal at the meeting called for the annual seven-team event to expand by 2021 to 24 clubs -- 12 from Europe, five from South America, and two each from the other confederations.

The European Club Association last month expressed its displeasure with any plan to expand the Club World Cup and asked for fewer games.

UEFA and CONCACAF, the confederations for Europe and North and Central America and the Caribbean, are preparing new "Nations Leagues," largely to replace friendlies, and a global international league could expand on that idea.

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