A proposed European club competition and its evolving saga
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has seen European and several other confederations pull back support after the aborted Forward Enterprise plan to privatise parts of the World Cup, amid varied backing from South American and African bodies.
Signatories including Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan express support for FIFA President Infantino, while European bodies threaten boycotts. The plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors has been withdrawn, but governance concerns linger as opposition grows and challengers prepare for the next vote.
Infantino is facing a leadership crisis as CONCACAF, UEFA and AFC push for his resignation amid a failed World Cup privatization plan. He is meeting Dominican officials while allies seek to rally support and counter moves to unseat him ahead of the March 2021 presidential election. FIFA has not commented on ongoing requests for change.
The FIFA president has faced mounting criticism after reports that he abandoned plans to back private investment for FIFA tournaments. European bodies and fans demand his resignation; a petition is attracting support across confederations as governance reforms are called for.
Real Madrid has denounced controversial refereeing decisions after a derby loss to Atletico Madrid, citing two red cards that were not shown to the visiting team and questioning the accuracy of VAR. Mourinho has presented photographs as evidence, while praising his players despite the setback.
UEFA is assessing documents totaling about €8.4 million paid by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018 as part of an ongoing review. Real Madrid has supplied a lengthy dossier to support its case that the payments affected competition integrity. Barcelona maintains the payments were for refereeing reports and denies wrongdoing.