According to an investigation by the “New York Times”, the Federation was aware of the project of a closed European league and had even participated in discussions with the clubs concerned.

The New York Times article ends with an unequivocal sentence from the president of the Spanish Football League Javier Tebas: “I have said it before and I will say it again: behind it all is the president of FIFA. , Gianni Infantino. “ Words that support the investigation of the American daily on the supposed links between the international body and the twelve clubs wishing to found a closed Super League.The New York Times obtained extracts from the project carried by twelve of the biggest European clubs in mid-April (Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Atlético Madrid, Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool , Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea): they reveal that the rebellious leaders sought to obtain the support of the Federation, “an essential condition for the implementation of the SL project” . Meetings between Infantino employees and club leaders would have taken place in this regard in January.
Contacted by the American media, FIFA refused to answer questions about the involvement of its president in the Closed League project but recalled the opposition he had formulated during the revelations on this competition aimed at ensuring better income to participants. However, the NYT reveals that “in at least one of these meetings, the separatist group proposed that in exchange for the approval of its project by FIFA, the Super League would accept the participation of a dozen of its teams. highlights at an annual FIFA Club World Cup ” . The teams have even proposed not to be paid for such a competition, a prospect to which the Federation would have been sensitive without officially supporting the project.

But such a rapprochement alerted Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, who, for his part, was preparing a reform of the Champions League . During an emergency meeting with Gianni Infantino at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Ceferin reportedly asked his counterpart if he was involved in the “Dirty Twelve” plan as the British media have dubbed the clubs at the head of this project. 

According to the daily, Infantino would have assured that he was not but, invited to officially mark his disapproval, he would have hesitated before, in front of the extent of the mobilization of supporters, leaders of unaffected clubs and politicians, to position yourself more clearly:“We can only strongly disapprove of the creation of the Super League. A Super League which is a closed competition. A break with the current institutions, leagues, associations, UEFA and FIFA. “ In the process, nine of the twelve clubs withdrew from the project (Real, Barcelona and Juventus have not renounced) and even presented their apologies to the fans.

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