Governing Bodies
FIFA VOWS ‘CONSEQUENCES’ FOR BREAKAWAY SUPER LEAGUE CLUBS
Fifa president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday (April 20) warned that clubs involved in the European Super League could face “consequences”, as the backlash built against the deeply divisive plans.
He lent his support to European football’s governing body as it attempts to quash an initiative that threatens its prized Champions League and the health of domestic competitions such as England’s Premier League.
“It is our task to protect the European sport model, so if some elect to go their own way then they must live with the consequences of their choices,” Infantino said at Uefa’s congress in Switzerland.
“They are responsible for their choices.”
Twelve powerful clubs – six from England, and three each from Spain and Italy – have signed up for the Super League, which offers guaranteed spots for its founding members and billions of dollars in payments.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the English clubs involved, together with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid from Spain and Italian trio Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Currently, teams have to qualify for the Champions League each year through their national competitions, and face a lengthy group phase before reaching the high-profile latter stages.
The Super League would guarantee a spot for its founding members every year, removing the uncertainty of qualification and the accompanying risks to revenue.
The breakaway plan prompted a furious reaction from fans and officials, with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin saying on Monday it was motivated by “greediness, selfishness and narcissism”, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saying its closed nature was “not right”.
On Tuesday, Ceferin implored club owners, particularly those of Premier League teams, to row back on the plans.
“There’s still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes,” said the Slovenian. “English fans deserve to have you correct your mistake, they deserve respect.”
Three more clubs are expected to sign up, including “at least two” from France, a source told AFP.
Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain are a notable absentee, while Bayern Munich, the reigning European champions, have distanced themselves from the project.
A serious threat
Five more clubs will qualify annually for the 20-team, midweek competition, where two groups of 10 will precede two-legged quarter- and semi-finals and a one-off final. The competition is due for launch “as soon as is practicable”.
It constitutes a serious threat to Uefa, which together with the English, Spanish and Italian football authorities said the clubs could be banned from domestic and European competition.
The British government also said it was considering invoking competition law to block the breakaway.
‘Football has to change’
Backed by US investment bank, JP Morgan, the Super League is offering the founding clubs an initial pot of €3.5 billion (S$5.6 billion) for infrastructure investment and to offset pandemic costs.
The clubs, most of them heavily indebted and saddled with enormous player salaries, are expected to receive a further €10 billion in “solidarity payments” over the life of the initial commitment – much more than the returns available in the Champions League.
Britain’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden said the English clubs could find themselves subject to a formal review under British antitrust law, which prevents the formation of monopolies or corporate cartels.
“We will put everything on the table to prevent this from happening,” the minister said, vowing a “very robust response”.
However, organisers of the Super League said they would file court motions to stop players being banned and “ensure the seamless establishment and operation” of the competition, according to a letter to Ceferin and Infantino that was seen by AFP.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the head of the new ESL, said it was “impossible” that clubs would be thrown out of the Champions League, whose upcoming semi-finals feature Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
“Madrid will not be kicked out of the Champions League, definitely not. Nor City, nor anyone else,” he said, also insisting that players would still be able to represent their national teams.
“Football has to keep changing and adapting to the times. Football is losing interest. Something must be done,” Perez said.
Liverpool midfielder James Milner became the first player of one of the clubs involved to speak openly against the project.
“I can only say my personal opinion, I don’t like it and hopefully it doesn’t happen,” he said after Liverpool’s Premier League draw with Leeds on Monday.
Fans of both clubs protested outside Elland Road before the match, while Leeds players wore shirts featuring the Champions League logo and the words “earn it” and “Football is for the fans” during the warm-up.
Liverpool manager Klopp was angered by Leeds staff leaving similar shirts in the away dressing room before kick-off.
The breakaway announcement came just hours before Uefa announced a new 36-team format for the Champions League, which had been conceived to placate the continent’s biggest clubs.
-AFP
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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