Frantic phone calls, secret meetings and high-stakes threats: The inside story of how a billion-dollar European soccer superleague was born, and then collapsed, in less than a week.
By Tariq Panja and Rory Smith Published April 22, 2021Updated Oct. 22, 2021
LONDON — For 48 hours, soccer stood on the brink. Fans took to the streets. Players broke into open revolt. Chaos stalked the game’s corridors of power, unleashing a shock wave that resonated around the world, from Manchester to Manila, Barcelona to Beijing, and Liverpool to Los Angeles.
That internationalism is what has turned European soccer, over the last 30 years, into a global obsession. The elite teams of western Europe are stocked with stars drawn from Africa, South America and all points in between. They draw fans not just from England, Italy and Spain, but China, India and Australia in numbers large enough to tempt broadcasters across the planet to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to show their games.
But while soccer is now the biggest business in sports, it remains, at heart, an intensely local affair. Teams rooted in neighborhoods and based in small towns compete in domestic leagues that have existed for more than a century, competitions in which the great and the good share the field — and at least some of the finances — with the minor and the makeweight.
An uneasy truce between the two faces of the world’s game had held for decades. And then, on Sunday night, it cracked, as an unlikely alliance of American hedge funds, Russian oligarchs, European industrial tycoons and Gulf royals sought to seize control of the revenues of the world’s most popular sport by creating a closed European superleague.
How that plan came together and then spectacularly collapsed is a story of egos and intrigue, avarice and ambition, secret meetings and private lunches, international finance and internecine strife. It lasted just two frantic, feverish days, but that was more than enough time to shake the world.
Victories against the United Arab Emirates followed by Peru in Qatar in first half of June would see the Socceroos take on France, Denmark, and Tunisia in Group D at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
Football Australia Media Updated: 09:57am Apr 2, 2022
The Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ was made at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Qatar on Friday evening (local time), and was attended by Socceroos Head Coach, Graham Arnold, as well as...
The Socceroos may have missed out on automatic qualification for the FIFA World Cup, but it is not the end of the line.
The journey continues in June, with two single-leg encounters on neutral territory in Doha, Qatar.
With AFC issued 4.5 slots for the final tournament by FIFA, Australia is still only two wins away from qualification, albeit through the play-offs.
There the Socceroos will play against United Arab Emirates for the chance to face Peru in an Intercontinental Play-off - with the winner advancing to this year's tournament.
Australia is no stranger to this method having competed in nine play-offs in the nation’s history, qualifying for the World Cup three times in this way.
As attention turns to June, we answer all of your questions moving forward.
What's our next game?
Australia now goes into a one-legged play-off against the United Arab Emirates, who finished third in Group A.
The match was originally scheduled to be a traditional two-legged home-and-away tie, but due to COVID-19 forcing delays, the play-off has changed to a one-off match on a neutral ground.
The match will be held in Qatar, Doha on Tuesday, 7 June, with the winner advancing to the intercontinental play-off.
What if we win that?
A play-off against Peru - the fifth-placed CONMEBOL side - awaits the victors of the AFC Play-off.
That will also be a one-off match played in Qatar, with the winner securing their place in the FIFA World Cup.
Peru maintained their place above the likes of Colombia and Chile with a victory at home to Paraguay on Wednesday morning (AEDT).
Like Australia, the South American outfit are no strangers to taking the long route to the World Cup, having defeated New Zealand to seal their place at the 2018 edition - where the two nations met in their final group game.
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