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One of the largest and most popular British newspapers "The Times" admitted that their story about Qatar's desires to gather the most powerful clubs in the world into one football league does not match reality. "The Times" publicly acknowledged, after conducting an investigation, that the article is fabricated.
The French satirical news website "Les Cahiers du Football" stated that "The Times" based their story on a joke published by them, but the journalist who wrote the article insisted that he had a source.
Here is "The Times" story about the "Dream Football League".
The flood of money pumped into European clubs by the sheikhs of Qatar has come up with a new idea on how to utilize their oil-fueled wealth. They plan to shake up the football world with a project called the "Dream Football League" (DFL).
In the DFL league, supported by the Qatari royal family, 24 teams would compete every two years. The championship is supposed to challenge the prestigious European club tournament, the Champions League, and the World Club Cup.
Qatar aims to attract future clubs with what they have the most of - money.
The new project, which could start in 2015, could be seen as a threat to UEFA and FIFA organizations, but Qatar is strengthening its growing power in the world of football, symbolically marked in 2010 when they won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The wealthy Qataris have enough power and influence to attract famous clubs to the championship. Powerful clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City belong to Qatari sheikhs, while teams like Barcelona or Manchester United would be lured by huge financial rewards just for participating. DFL organizers do not hide this - the rewards will be several times greater than in the Champions League.
The new championship and huge money could help several wealthy European clubs bypass UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. However, everything depends on which clubs the new league is targeting. DFL hopes to have 16 permanent clubs, while the other eight teams from all over the world would compete for invitations.
DFL organizers revealed that they are targeting the English Premier League. Rumors are circulating that Qatar would like to see at least four of the most powerful English championship clubs in their league.
UEFA, the Premier League, and the leaders of potential clubs have not commented on the reports about the "Dream League" yet, but "The Times" quotes a source familiar with the situation: "These people have already proven that if they want something to happen, they will allocate as much money as needed for it. And the football industry has long demonstrated that you can buy everything for the right price."
