European Football Leaders Express Concerns Over FIFA's New Competitions

European football leaders have expressed "serious reservations" about a FIFA plan to create two new international competitions that would generate $25 billion over a 12-year period.

The concerns expressed on Wednesday by the Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC) of UEFA would mean that FIFA President Gianni Infantino's wish to reach an agreement before the World Cup begins in Russia next month may not be fulfilled.

In March, Infantino stated that FIFA had 60 days to reach an agreement on a guaranteed $25 billion investment from an international consortium. This deadline would expire this week.

FIFA is seeking to reinvent the Club World Cup as a tournament between 24 teams, to be held every four years. It also aims to create a Global Nations League involving more than 200 countries every two years.

The global football governing body would establish an agency that would coordinate the competitions along with a group of investors led by the Japanese and backed by the Saudis.

"The PFSC unanimously expressed serious reservations about the process surrounding the FIFA Club World Cup and the Global Nations League proposals. In particular, there are concerns about the short timeframe and the lack of concrete information, and the need for a clearly defined process that respects existing structures and decision-making bodies and involves all key participants," stated the UEFA council in a press release.

Infantino has upset some European leaders by approaching big clubs on the continent, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, to seek their support for a project that would yield them tens of millions of dollars.

"This is not the role of the body governing world football," said Lars-Christer Olsson, CEO of the European Leagues group, who joined club leaders and player unions during the Wednesday meeting, chaired by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.

The new competitions would start in 2021 and replace the current Club World Cup, which involves seven teams, as well as the Confederations Cup, which currently serves as a World Cup rehearsal.