UEFA will not back any legal action by Europe's football championships
seeking compensation for moving the dates of the 2022 World Cup,
secretary general Gianni Infantino said Monday.
"Of course not," Infantino told a press conference when asked whether
UEFA would support the threat made at the weekend by the European
Professional Football Leagues (EPFL).
"They are pretty much alone in this stance and even amongst themselves
they are pretty much divided," he said.
UEFA backed an accord made by FIFA and Europe's top clubs which will
see a payment of 209 million dollars made for 2022.
But Infantino said Europe's top leagues have to "come a little bit
back down to earth" and accept the dates for 2022 with a final now
scheduled for December 18.
"Everyone can plan its competitions around it and we will do that," he said.
The EPFL passed a resolution at a meeting on Saturday which slammed
the move from a traditional summer World Cup.
"The EPFL is ready to support any legal actions that the individual
leagues may take in this respect in the near future," said French
league president Frederic Thiriez.
Infantino meanwhile called FIFA's accord with the European Club
Association "positive".
"Two hundred and nine million dollars when you have revenues of more
than five billion it is not a huge amount," he said. FIFA makes more
than five billion dollars from its flagship World Cup every four
years.
"We think it is absolutely normal that FIFA is letting the clubs
benefit from the revenues," the UEFA official added.
UEFA expects to make more than two billion dollars from the 2016
European Championships in France and has promised more than 150
million dollars for clubs who release players.
We think it is absolutely normal that FIFA is letting the clubs
benefit from the revenues.
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