(Reuters) -FIFA President Gianni Infantino said they will look to hold a playoff between Los Angeles FC and Club America for a place at the Club World Cup after it removed Club Leon from the tournament last month. Leon were pulled from the June 14-July 13 tournament over multi-club ownership rules, though the Court of […]
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Soccer-FIFA eye playoff between LAFC and Mexico’s America for Leon’s Club World Cup place
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(Reuters) -FIFA President Gianni Infantino said they will look to hold a playoff between Los Angeles FC and Club America for a place at the Club World Cup after it removed Club Leon from the tournament last month.
Leon were pulled from the June 14-July 13 tournament over multi-club ownership rules, though the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered Leon’s appeal against the decision.
“In a couple of weeks we will have the final and definitive decision, we will respect any decision,” Infantino told reporters at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday.
“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.”
World soccer’s governing body has said $1 billion prize money will be on offer at the expanded 32-team competition.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Peter Rutherford)