Fifa: Fans ‘want World Cup every two years’

PROPOSALS to stage World Cups every other year have been controversial but Fifa yesterday claimed fans support it.

According to a survey commissioned by the world governing body, the majority of supporters think it is a good idea.

Fifa’s divisive plan, championed by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger (pictured) has plenty of high-profile opponents, including Europe’s governing body Uefa.

The Football Supporters Europe group is opposed to the idea and wrote to Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, who replied to say he had

‘grave concerns’ about the plans and suggested European countries could boycott the World Cup if the change is made.

However, Fifa says globally there is support for the idea and claimed the enthusiasm was greatest among younger fans in ‘developing markets’ outside Europe.

‘Fifteen thousand respondents were identified as expressing an interest in football and the Fifa World Cup,’ Fifa said. ‘Based on initial results, the following conclusions can be drawn: The majority of fans would like to see a more frequent men’s World Cup; of this majority, the preferred frequency is biennial; there are considerable differences between the so-called traditional markets and the developing football markets; and younger generations in all regions are more open and interested in change than older generations.’

It is understood only respondents who expressed an interest in football and the World Cup were asked the question. The 23 markets which were selected included England.