November 11, (THEWILL) – FIFA’s proposed bi-annual men’s World Cup has been met with strong criticism by the Premier League.
When the international match calendar is reformatted after 2024, FIFA is looking into tripling the frequency of its showcase tournament. Arsene Wenger, the former manager of Arsenal, is leading the charge for a change.
However, the impact of a bi-annual World Cup on player safety has been a source of significant concern. The majority of UEFA member countries have already spoken out against it.
The 20 top-flight clubs in the English premier league have all committed to oppose the plan after rising from a meeting on Thursday.
An official statement on that decision read: “All 20 Premier League clubs have discussed the post-2024 International Match Calendar reform process and are unanimously opposed to FIFA’s proposal for biennial men’s World Cups, along with any plans involving significantly extended international windows.
“Clubs raised concerns about the negative impacts FIFA’s current proposals would have on player welfare, the fan experience, pre-season preparations and the quality of competitions.”
The EPL Chief Executive, Richard Masters, added that: “The Premier League is committed to preventing any radical changes to the post-2024 FIFA International Match Calendar that would adversely affect player welfare and threaten the competitiveness, calendar, structures and traditions of domestic football.
“We are open to reforms and new ideas, but they must enhance the complementary balance between domestic and international football in order to improve the game at all levels. This process should also involve meaningful agreements with the leagues that provide the foundations for the game.
“We will continue to work with supporter groups, players, domestic and international stakeholders to find solutions that are in the best interests of football’s long-term future.”
FIFA’s push for a biannual shift to the World Cup’s current quadrennial framework is motivated by a number of factors.
For starters, it doubles FIFA’s earnings. In a four-year cycle, FIFA makes around £4 billion, with nearly all of that coming in a World Cup year. In the three years since, it has run huge deficits.
UEFA, on the other hand, makes about £11 billion over the same time span, thanks to its own four-yearly international money-maker tournament and the billions it makes every year from its extremely expensive club competitions.
FIFA also wants to expand the game and provide more countries the opportunity to enjoy the thrills of a World Cup. FIFA has already increased the number of participating teams from 32 to 48, and now wants to triple the number of events.
Unsurprisingly, some countries who rarely, if ever, qualify for the tournament have backed this.
To sell this, one of FIFA’s primary recommendations is fewer international windows.
Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, claims that his plan will cut non-European players’ travel time and reduce the number of games everyone plays, as he wants to scrap friendlies and new tournaments like the Nations League, and play all international football in two month-long blocks: one in October for qualifying matches and another in June/July for tournaments.
After the first meeting of his new Technical Advisory Council, which consists of more than 80 former players and coaches, Wenger presented all of the proposals at a FIFA event in Doha in September.
It has been met with divided opinions across the football world with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) largely welcoming to the change while UEFA, which believes its own finances will be dealt a blow, in severe and vocal opposition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
