UEFA are discussing unprecedented  plans to expand the European Championship to a pan-continental competition to rival the World Cup.

According to a report in The Independent on Sunday, the plans involve the inclusion of major non-European nations – such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Japan – in a tournament that would rival the World Cup.

The new competition would invite non-European nations to take part, similar to the invitations extended to non-South American teams for the Copa America. The new plan would mean the aforementioned non-European nations would be invited to take part in Euro 2020.

A senior adviser to Platini is quoted as saying: “The ideas are at an early stage but they are very feasible. The South Americans have been doing it for decades, inviting teams from outside their continent to take part in the Copa America. So why cannot Europe?”

The tournament would be similar in size to the current World Cup format and adopt a similar format.

The plans, and the open nature of discussions about them, is seen as a sign of how the relationship between Platini and Blatter has deteriorated to a dramatic extent, with much of the ill-feeling between the two individuals, and more generally between UEFA and FIFA, rooted in the FIFA handling of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.