Football: FIFA, IOC express strong support for UEFA

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino and International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach rallied on Tuesday to the side of UEFA in a dispute with a startup league.

On Monday, twelve European clubs announced that they decided to form a new midweek competition – the European Super League. It has been condemned by football authorities.

"At FIFA, we can only strongly disapprove of the creation of a Super League, which is a closed shop, which is a breakaway from the current institutions, from the leagues, from the [national] associations, from UEFA and from FIFA, outside of the system," Infantino said in a statement.

He warned that "if some elect to go their own way, then they must live with the consequences of their choices."

"They are responsible for their choice. Concretely, this means that either you are in or you are out; you cannot be half in or half out," he said.

The FIFA president expressed full support for the European sports model.

"FIFA is here, and I am here today as FIFA President, to bring full support to European football, to UEFA, and the 55 member associations of UEFA and of FIFA, to the leagues, clubs, players and to fans. To all the fans, all over Europe, and actually all over the world as well."

"People need to think very carefully, they need to reflect, and they need to assume responsibility. They need to think not only of their shareholders, but they need to think about all the people, of all the fans, of all those who have contributed to make European football what it is today. It goes back not only decades, it goes back more than one hundred years," he added.

Bach said the sports model is under threat because of the purely profit-oriented goals of commercial sport providers and investors.

"If everything is only looked at from a business perspective, if only the economic rules are applied to measure the impact of sport on society, then the social mission of sport is lost."