FIFA set to large it at World Cup
IT LOOKS increasingly likely the World Cup Finals will be contested by 40 or 48 countries in 2026, after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said yesterday there was a ‘positive’ feeling towards an expansion among councillors.
Infantino, who favours a larger tournament, does not believe extra teams will dilute the event’s quality, citing Costa Rica’s progression from their World Cup group in 2014 while England and Italy were knocked out.
A decision will be made at the FIFA council meeting in January, with all the analysis concentrating on 40- and 48-team formats.
one proposal is 10 groups of four with the winners plus the six best runners-up progressing to the round of 16.
But favourite is the 48-strong option of 16 sides progressing from a Finals play-off involving 32 countries, joining 16 seeded teams in the group stage. Infantino sees no problem with so many sides going home after one match.
FA CHAIRMAN Martin Glenn made the extraordinary claim at the council meeting this week that a lot of fans want to see the end of FA Cup replays. Glenn (right) added this was backed up in market research by the ruling body, who have abolished replays for the FA Cup quarter-finals this season. Glenn’s comments were immediately challenged by fans’ chief Malcolm Clarke, who said he would put money on Glenn being wrong but he wasn’t allowed to bet on football. However, Clarke is now commissioning his own poll of supporters to counter Glenn’s proposal, which he says will only diminish the standing of the FA Cup. Replays are also vital to the finances of smaller clubs. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose regime has come under attack for lacking transparency and accountability, set out plans yesterday to halt the gravy train at the governing body.
His 10- year vision will see FIFA spend £3.25billion on football development in an effort to increase participation from 45 to 60 per cent of the world’s population, plus doubling the number of women footballers to 60million. A far more rigorous FIFA operation will monitor how all money is spent.
The perks under scrutiny include FIFA council members travelling first class and their partners enjoying a ridiculous $500 daily payment when their husbands/wives are on FIFA business.
THE International Paralympic Committee are worried their president Sir Philip Craven will be booted out by the International Olympic Committee following his damning remarks about IOC president Thomas Bach on Russian TV. Craven was the victim of a prank telephone call and somehow believed he was being interviewed by American hurdles legend Ed Moses. Craven said Bach had very weak people around him and public opinion was against him all over the world, especially in his home country of Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel ‘can’t stand him’.
Hammers capacity fight
WEST HAM’S plan to raise the capacity of the London Stadium from 57,000 to 66,000 — giving them the biggest club ground in the capital — will be strongly opposed by their landlords.
An expansion would require more stewards and infrastructure and it is considered there are enough difficulties to overcome already around West Ham’s tenancy without adding to them.
Meanwhile, the Hammers charging £20 for adults and £10 for children for their EFL Cup tie against Chelsea later this month shows their desire to fill the ground. A spokesman said it was part of their policy of ‘affordable football’ and they would only sell to known supporters.
FA BLAZERS are at loggerheads with the Professional Game Board over the choice of 27 ambassadors to accompany England on away trips. The upset expressed by senior FA figure Noel White at this week’s meeting concerned there being four non-FA council members on the roster, including Football League chief Shaun Harvey, who went to Slovenia. The ambassadors replaced members of the defunct international committee, who used to hire and fire England managers.