IT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD
UEFA chief hits out at plan for global tourney every two years but Southgate likes the idea
UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has shot down the bid to hold a World Cup every two years – just as Gareth Southgate started talking it up.
FIFA is holding a feasibility study into shortening the gap between men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments from four to two years, following a request from the Saudi Arabian federation in May which was approved by 166 national associations.
Ceferin admitted in a letter to a fans’ group last week to having “concerns” over plans that have been endorsed by FIFA’s head of global development Arsene Wenger.
And the UEFA president doubled down on his stance at the opening of the European Club Association (ECA) General Assembly yesterday as he insisted the World Cup’s rarity is what made it special.
He said: “We think the jewel of the World Cup has value precisely because of its rarity. Holding it every two years will lead to less legitimacy and dilute it.
“We think there is a space for everything and both national teams and clubs are fully occupying that physical and commercial space.”
Ceferin also highlighted his concerns over the impact on players, adding: “They don’t need to see more of their summers spent on consuming tournaments rather than devoted to relaxing and recuperation.”
However, Southgate believes international football could be ready for the biggest ever revolution within the game.
The England manager compared FIFA’s grand plan for a World Cup every two years to cricket launching The Hundred format this summer.
Southgate admits he has some concerns but does see the value of a major shake-up of the football calendar after 2024.
He said: “I don’t know if our generation are going to find a World Cup every two years a strange concept.
“But I also know things like The Hundred in cricket have been an incredible success so I’m open minded about some of those things. But the calendar needs to be tidied up.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed the ECA clubs, and all of football’s stakeholders, would be consulted but insisted there was evidence for a need to alter the calendar.
He said: “There are no taboo topics, the door of FIFA is open to any idea to any proposal.”