FIFA unveils biennial WC plan, UEFA threatens boycott
Nyon (Switzerland): FIFA detailed its plan for reshaping international soccer around playing the men's World Cup every two years despite European opposition that could lead to a boycott.
Joined by retired greats, FIFA unveiled the proposal Thursday but the pushback from Europe was immediate as UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed it could launch a boycott by its teams which have dominated soccer's marquee event since Brazil won in 2002.
"We can decide not to play in it," Ceferin said in an interview with British daily The Times.
About 80 former internationals including World Cup winners went to Qatar for two days of FIFA-hosted talks and emerged with consensus for playing the tournament twice as often.
"We all agreed with the new proposal of the calendar, said Brazil great Ronaldo, who went to four World Cups and won twice. He described FIFA's proposal as just amazing.
Still, European soccer leader Ceferin said as far as I know, the South Americans are on the same page with resisting FIFA's plan.
"So good luck with a World Cup like that, Ceferin told The Times in the latest UEFA vs. FIFA fight since 2016 when he and Gianni Infantino were elected to the respective presidencies.
Infantino and his allies have since 2018 floated the idea of a biennial World Cup which European soccer has viewed as a commercial and competitive threat to its club and national team events.
Arsene Wenger has led the project since FIFA hired the former Arsenal coach last year to be its director of global development.
Details floated in recent media interviews and briefings were finally presented Thursday from Qatar in an overall plan to shape the schedule of international games from 2024. The FIFA-managed calendar mandates when clubs must release players to national teams.
More top-level tournaments and fewer qualifying games are the priority with a biennial men's World Cup the key takeaway.
Wenger said his priorities were less travel for players and less disruption for their clubs plus giving young talent worldwide a chance to shine by also playing more meaningful games.
The current system that typically sees players based in Europe taking long-haul flights home throughout the season in short breaks for national-team games could be replaced by a single block of fewer qualifying games in October.
International tournaments would occupy June each year, with players proposed to get a mandatory 25-day vacation in July before rejoining their clubs.
Wenger said the balance of players having 20% of their games for national teams and 80% for clubs would stay, though in a more efficient way.
I think it is an outdated (status quo), he said. It is not linked with the evolution of the modern game. We will not increase the number of games, we might even reduce it. Retired greats like Germany's J rgen Klinsmann, Roberto Carlos of Brazil, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Denmark's Peter Schmeichel were enlisted to discuss changing the four-year World Cup cycle in place since the first edition in 1930.
