FIFA president Gianni Infantino says a merger between Mexico's Liga MX and Major League Soccer (MLS) would be seen positively by the game's governing body and could produce "the best league in the world."
There has been speculation that MLS, which includes clubs from the United States and Canada and who cooperate with Liga MX in several joint competitions already, could eventually form a new tri-nation league.
- 'Futbol Americas' on ESPN+: News on USMNT, Liga MX, and more
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more
- Liga MX president wants to improve relationship with MLS
- MLS, Liga MX merger could be good for growth - Gazidis
In December MLS commissioner Don Garber said such a prospect was "a long way away" but that "the opportunity is great."
FIFA has, in the past, ruled out regional championships, insisting that national structures remain the best format for leagues but they have softened that stance since Infantino took charge at the governing body in 2016.
"I think the potential in the United States and Mexico is enormous, each country by itself. But of course if you could bring those two together that would be incredible and that could quite well be the best league in the world," Infantino said during an online news conference.
"Any discussion about organising such a competition, of course respecting the rules of member associations and FIFA and with the agreement of all stakeholders, any discussion in that respect, is interesting and we see that in a positive light," he added.
Infantino has repeatedly talked of the need to boost the level of club football outside of the traditional powerhouse in Europe and said fresh thinking was needed internationally.
"Of course if we want club teams to be at the highest level around the world and not just in Europe, we need to have new ideas.
1:00
The Futbol Americas crew discuss whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is more likely to move to MLS first.
"We see the potential in North America, the economic potential and the potential in footballing terms. I trust them to take the best decisions in that regard," he added.
Infantino has a vested interest in the success of the game in North America given that FIFA's 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
MLS and Mexican clubs already compete in the regional CONCACAF Champions League and the two leagues have set up two intra-league clubs competitions.
The Leagues Cup was launched in 2019 and featured four clubs from each league in a knockout competition while the Campeones Cup, begun a year earlier, pits the champions of both leagues against each other.
In an interview with ESPN in December, Garber was asked directly about the possibility of going beyond such competitions to a new league.
"Could there ever be a moment where the leagues come together in a more formal way than just playing with interleague play? Perhaps. But it's a long way away, we've got a lot of work that would need to be done to figure that out," he said.
"We've got a labour union and a CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement], they don't, we have salary caps, they don't, we have an entirely different structure to how we go about managing our business.
"The challenges and obstacles are many. But the opportunity is great. So like everything with us we'll do the work and figure out if it can be possible at some point way in the future."
Also on Friday, FIFA said it wants more than 200 member federations to pick who hosts the 2027 Women's World Cup, taking the decision from its ruling council.
The decision to bring the women's tournament into line with the men's was announced on Friday after an online meeting of the 37-member FIFA Council.
The 2023 women's tournament will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand after they won a 22-13 vote over Colombia that split in regional blocs last June.
Colombia was backed by South American soccer body CONMEBOL and Europe's UEFA which forged a broader alliance several months before.
When a meeting of 211 FIFA member federations chose the 2026 World Cup host, the North American joint bid of the United States, Canada and Mexico won 134-65 against Morocco.
FIFA moved to a more open vote for men's World Cups after a controversial double award for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which gave hosting rights to Russia and Qatar.
Those decisions in 2010 were made by an all-male FIFA executive committee, which was later widely discredited, and helped spark federal investigations in the U.S., Switzerland, and France.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this report.
"in" - Google News
March 20, 2021 at 02:57AM
https://ift.tt/3eTW8ih
Potential MLS-Liga MX merger would be seen 'in a positive light' - Infantino - ESPN
"in" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MLa3Y1
https://ift.tt/2YrnuUx
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Potential MLS-Liga MX merger would be seen 'in a positive light' - Infantino - ESPN"
Post a Comment