Did Gianni Infantino Plan A 'FIFA Super League'?

Leaked documents have exposed that FIFA President Gianni Infantino held secret negotiations to rebrand the breakaway European Super League as the "FIFA Super League".

The newly uncovered term sheet, as reported by the Guardian, dates back to October 2020 and outlines a proposed 12-year partnership between world football's governing body and the breakaway clubs.

Under this arrangement, FIFA would have received special governance and political rights through a golden share, effectively placing Europe's elite club competition under a joint commercial venture.

The revelation is particularly damaging because when the Super League officially launched and collapsed under immense fan backlash in April 2021, Infantino then publicly claimed his organisation could only strongly disapprove of the closed-shop league.

Now, this revelation has exploded at the worst possible moment for Infantino. The 56-year-old is currently fighting for his political survival amid a massive administrative crisis.

Just days ago, Infantino was forced into a humiliating climbdown after trying to sell a 20 per cent stake of FIFA tournaments, including the World Cups, to private investors through a commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise.

That private equity scheme triggered an unprecedented civil war within football, leading UEFA to threaten a total boycott of all FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups.

Even though Infantino abandoned the World Cup sell-off and issued an official apology, this "FIFA Super League" leak could further strain the relationship between FIFA and UEFA.

Continental bodies like UEFA and CONCACAF have openly declared that they have lost all confidence in Infantino's leadership, accusing his administration of abandoning football first and of operating through secret schemes cooked up by faceless individuals.

Internally, FIFA is facing a historic mutiny as top officials such as Arsene Wenger and Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom have publicly distanced themselves from the president's recent manoeuvres.

Also, former players and regional league associations are now demanding sweeping governance reforms to ensure FIFA can no longer take unilaterally disruptive decisions.

While Infantino managed to secure a formal show of support from his executive board during an emergency meeting in Rabat, Morocco, multiple European nations are actively discussing the withdrawal of their backing ahead of the upcoming FIFA presidential elections.