FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Monday that a playoff may be held between Los Angeles FC (LAFC) and Mexico’s Club America. This decision follows the disqualification of Mexican side Club Leon from the forthcoming Club World Cup on multi-club ownership grounds. FIFA President Gianni Infantino addresses the media during a press conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. He painted a rosy picture for the historic event.
That was just last month when Club Leon almost got disqualified before being deemed ineligible themselves for the expanded 32-team Club World Cup. The tournament will be held in the U.S. from June 14 – July 13. Ownership regulations The rules regarding ownership ended up being Leon’s undoing. To fight back, he promptly appealed FIFA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Infantino made clear that CAS has indeed registered this appeal.
Infantino explained the potential playoff, stating, “What we are looking at is that, if CAS confirms the decision of the Appeals Committee, FIFA’s intention is to play a match, a playoff, between the team that lost the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, LAFC, and the next team in the ranking, which is America.”
The Club World Cup will feature a staggering $1 billion prize pool! This further shines a light on its indispensable role in the international football calendar. Infantino said that a decision on Leon’s appeal would be forthcoming. He continued, the future of the possible new playoff may be determined in the next two weeks.
“In a couple of weeks we will have the final and definitive decision, we will respect any decision.” – Gianni Infantino
What happens in this particular dispute could determine how the Club World Cup roster is made up. Fans and stakeholders alike await the decisions from CAS and FIFA regarding Leon’s eligibility and the proposed playoff between LAFC and Club America.
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