FIFA and UEFA have moved to block the formation of any breakaway European Super League by banning any player who takes part from the World Cup and European Championship.
It follows reports late last year that Europe's elite clubs wanted to reshape the football landscape to create a 'European Premier League' worth a total of £4.6billion to the participants.
It was claimed that FIFA was backing the idea of the breakaway league, which would have included English giants Liverpool and Manchester United.
But now world football's governing body has distanced itself from any Super League idea and introduced the deterrent that any player involved would be barred from flagship international tournaments.