CORRECTION: We mistakenly reported last week (Sport, March 13, 14) that a “Dream Football League” competition was being planned in Qatar. As the Times football editor, Tony Evans, explains in his column (The Game, page 4), we now accept that this is not the case, and we apologise for the erroneous reports.

The world’s leading football clubs are to be offered enormous financial inducements to participate in a 24-team tournament every two years in Qatar and neighbouring Gulf states, The Times has learnt.

Backed by the Qatari royal family, the self-styled “Dream Football League” (DFL) will release plans next month for a new club tournament that it hopes to establish as a rival to the Champions League and the Club World Cup.

The move, the