Figo proposes World Cup expansion
Former Portugal winger Luis Figo launched his campaign for the presidency of football governing body Fifa yesterday by revealing plans to expand the World Cup to as many as 48 teams. Unveiling his manifesto at Wembley Stadium in London, the 42-year-old said the expansion of the tournament from 32 teams would be “weighted towards non-European teams”. Another of his key proposals is the distribution of half of Fifa’s wealth — $2.5bn — directly to its member associations for spending on grassroots football. The former Barcelona and Real Madrid superstar also called for the restoration of the “old” interpretation of the offside rule, “where a player is judged offside whether directly involved in the play or not”.