FIFA and UEFA provide assurances to Leeds United and fellow Premier League sides over closed 'European Super League'

Reports about the possibility of a European Super League for the game's established giants resurfaced at the back end of last year, suggesting that Wall Street bank JP Morgan were planning to fund it.

However, the notion has been emphatically rejected by world governing body FIFA and the game's six continental confederations including UEFA.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin were among those to put their name to a joint statement released on Monday that read: "In light of recent media speculation about the creation of a closed European 'Super League' by some European clubs, FIFA and the six confederations (AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA) once again would like to reiterate and strongly emphasise that such a competition would not be recognised by either FIFA or the respective confederation.

"Any club or player involved in such a competition would as a consequence not be allowed to participate in any competition organised by FIFA or their respective confederation.

"As per the FIFA and confederations statutes, all competitions should be organised or recognised by the relevant body at their respective level, by FIFA at the global level and by the confederations at the continental level.

"In this respect, the confederations recognise the FIFA Club World Cup, in its current and new format, as the only worldwide club competition while FIFA recognises the club competitions organised by the confederations as the only club continental competitions.

"The universal principles of sporting merit, solidarity, promotion and relegation, and subsidiarity are the foundation of the football pyramid that ensures football’s global success and are, as such, enshrined in the FIFA and confederation statutes.

"Football has a long and successful history thanks to these principles. Participation in global and continental competitions should always be won on the pitch.

FIFA has already given its backing to an expanded Club World Cup format instead.

The first such tournament was due to take place in China this summer but has been indefinitely postponed as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, to enable the delayed Euro 2020 and Copa America to take place

Speaking about the proposed Super League in the Swiss media last October, Infantino said: "For me, I'm not interested in Bayern versus Liverpool, but Bayern versus Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires."

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Thank you Laura Collins