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Fifa threat to Champions League

An international consortium is backing two proposed new Fifa tournaments which could rival the Champions League. The move comes as Fifa seeks to secure its financial future in the wake of the corruption and bribery scandal that has plunged into crisis in recent years.

Japan's SoftBank is part of the consortium. The identity of the other investors is not known but is thought to include participants from China, Saudi Arabia, the US and the United Arab Emirates.

The plan envisages the expansion of the Club World Cup, a tournament currently limited to seven top teams from across the globe. It is also proposed to have a new international league competition for national teams.

The Club World Cup would be played every four years by the top 24 club level teams. A new national team competition would take place every two years. Fifa would have a 51 per cent stake in a joint venture with the consortium with the investors guaranteeing revenues of at least $25bn.

The underlying idea is that the structures of football do not reflect the extent to which it has globalised. The whole idea is that football is just not about Europe which has been dominant in terms of attracting the best players. There are three billion followers of football worldwide, but it doesn't have a global community besides the World Cup.

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