“You have to be careful when talking about sanctions for the Super League”

The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, is cautious with the option of imposing sanctions on the clubs that have supported the European Super League project because you have to “think about the possible consequences”, and although he again rejected this “'separatist'” idea, He leaves the door of his body “open” to deal with new projects “with respect for the institutions” and taking into account “the values” that make football the sport with the most followers in the world.

“Some actions must have consequences and everyone must assume their responsibilities, but you must always be careful when talking about sanctions. What sanctions are we talking about? It is quickly said that it is necessary to punish, it is even popular or populist, but you also have to think about the consequences of possible sanctions because when punishing a club you also do players, coaches, fans, who have nothing to do with it “Infantino said in an interview via email to 'L'Equipe'.

The leader indicated that “it is first up to the national authorities, then in this case to UEFA and finally to FIFA to take the appropriate measures”, but he opted to “favor dialogue on the conflict, even in the most delicate situations.” “We must avoid talking about 'war' when we talk about football and when the world suffers an unprecedented pandemic,” added.

Thus, he reiterated his body's firm rejection of the Super League because “it is based on a break with international institutions”, although without hiding that it is possible to “debate new ideas” and that the door of FIFA “is always open”. “But this must be done with respect for the institutions and without losing sight of the values ​​that have made our sport today the most popular in the world,” he said.

“I think we should never have come to this, to the situation we lived a few days ago, on the brink of a split with unpredictable and negative consequences for football,” lamented Infantino, cuyo “duty and responsibility to do everything possible to protect the world of football and its unity” and that he is clear that he does not have to “save the big clubs or the big leagues” but rather “defend all football around the world”.

For the president of FIFA, “there are situations in which you have to be intransigent.” “The creation of a closed, 'separatist' league, outside the structures of international football, is not only unacceptable, but simply unimaginable,” he stressed.

However, he also appeared to send a message to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. “A leader must also ask why we have come to this “, express. “And, from there, how we can build the future together and for that we must listen to everyone, but especially the fans, which is the true heart of football,” he confessed.

On the financial crisis suffered by teams and aggravated by the pandemic referred to, among others, by the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, rHe remembered that “everyone suffers a lot these days, and football is no exception” and that in his body they have already taken “a series of measures to try to help the world football community.”

“We need to create a better and healthier football, where we are better prepared to face challenges like this pandemic without running the risk of collapse,” continued the Italian-Swiss lawyer who trusts “the introduction of salary caps and transfer fees, a limitation on the number of players per team or the maximum number of games that the best players can play per season” as measures to promote “the economic stability of the system but also the competitive equilibrium.”

Nor did he forget to ask for reforms in “the international calendar and the format of the competitions.” “Less quantity and more quality should be our motto. At the national level, fewer teams and 'play-offs', for example, could make competitions more exciting, “he stressed.

The president also sees the introduction of financial 'fair play' as positive, they have improved “considerably the financial results” of European clubs, although he does not rule out that the regulations have not been “perfect” and that it may be time to “review and find better formulas for the future “.

Club World Cup

On the other hand, Infantino remarked that the new Club World Cup is already “a reality” and that now they must look for a new date after postponing it due to the pandemic and to make room in 2021 for EURO 2020 and the America's Cup. “What I am sure of is that it will eventually become the best club event in the world and help develop football on all continents, “he said.

“It will include some 'giants' of football, but it will also give others the opportunity to compete at the highest level and this will generate income for everyone. But my dream is also to see the birth of the first Women's Club World Cup, it will come very soon and it will really revolutionize women's football “, added the leader.

Finally, he made it clear that “a boycott” of the Qatar World Cup next year “is not the correct approach” to achieve job improvements in the Asian country. “We do not pretend that everything is perfect in Qatar and we know that there are still challenges, but any debate on this must be based on concrete facts “, he pointed out.

“Qatar has made enormous progress in this area (working conditions) and it is not FIFA who says so. In fact, the facts tell us, as confirmed by the International Labor Organization and the international workers 'unions that carry out inspections, that the World Cup has already contributed significantly to the positive transformation of the situation of workers' rights. I am convinced that this will leave a lasting legacy in the field of human rights much later, “he said.