FIFA will probably be investigating the possibility of holding the World Cup every two years as an alternative of 4, for each the boys’s and ladies’s tournaments.
The physique will probably be launching a feasibility examine into the ramifications of such a transfer after a proposal was introduced to gentle by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) on the annual congress, reported Goal.com.
The subsequent version of the World Cup will probably be performed subsequent yr in Qatar whereas the ladies’s event will go forward in 2023 in Australia/New Zealand.
“We believe the future of football is at a critical juncture. The many issues that football has faced have now been further exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. It is important to review how the global game is structured, which should include whether the current four-year cycle remains the optimum basis for how football is managed both from a competition and a commercial perspective as well as overall football development,” Goal.com quoted SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal as saying.
“Having fewer yet more meaningful competitive national team matches could potentially address concerns regarding player welfare whilst at the same time enhancing the value and merit of such competitions,” he added.
However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has stated that the investigation wouldn’t be rushed.
“We have to go into these studies with an open mind but we are not going to take decisions which will jeopardise what we are [already] doing. We know about the value of the World Cup, believe me,” stated Infantino.
“I would like to put this discussion in a much broader context, that of the international match calendar. Are we really convinced that playing qualifying games [across the year] is the right way when we are saying that fans want more meaningful games? All these points have to be considered. But we will put the sporting element as the top priority, not the commercial element,” he added.
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