ZURICH: Further confusion has been thrown into the melting pot of FIFA’s plans for future world competitions writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

World football federation president Gianni Infantino is reportedly proposing that the nations league which would form the core of a deal for a mystery $25bn investment would take place in the odd year every two years.

The money on offer from an Asia/Chinese/American consortium would exceed the prize money available at the World Cup.

The nations league would see all national teams competing in regional divisions with promotion and relegation and the winners of the top section progressing to a knockout competition.

In a letter to confederations and federations Infantino has proposed the finals – to be known as the Final 8 – being the climax of a nations league competition taking place every October and/or November of every odd year starting from 2021.

The five top European countries could each be guaranteed to receive $37.5m to $50m to play six games in the initial phase while each nation qualifying for the Final 8 would bank $15m plus a further $5m for finishing runners-up or $10m for winning the overall title.

Earlier this week a meeting of officials from the six regional confederations in Zurich agreed to set up a working group to study the issue of both the nations league and a revamped Club World Cup.
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Apart from UEFA, the idea is likely to meet with enthusiastic approval from the rest of the football world because of the projected extra investment in development funding.
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South America confederation CONMEBOL like the concept because major nations such as Brazil and Argentina were extremely concerned that their lucrative European-based friendly matches would have been killed off by UEFA’s Nations League which takes out all the friendly match dates in the international calendar.
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The revamped Club World Cup would involve 24 teams, including 12 from Europe, being staged every four years in the European summer instead of annually in December.
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Herewith a proposed distribution of revenue to European nations for playing six group-stage games in even-numbered years:

— 5 countries: $37.5M-50M;

— 5 countries: $15M-20M;

— 7 countries: $11.25M-15M;

— 5 countries: $7.5M-10M;

— 33 countries: $5.62M-7.5M.

Prize money for the GNL Final 8:

— Division 1: $15M per team plus $10M for winner and $5M for runner-up.

— Division 2: $5M per team plus $5M for winner and $2.5M for runner-up.

— Division 3: $3M per team plus $3M for winner and $1.5M for runner-up.

— Division 4: $2M per team plus $2M for winner and $1M for runner-up.

— Division 5: $1.5M per team plus $1.5M for winner and $0.75M for runner-up.

— Division 6: $1M per team plus $1M for winner and $0.5M for runner-up.

— Division 7: $0.5M per team plus $0.5M for winner and $0.25M for runner-up.

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