FIFA put competitions overhaul on hold
October 26, 2018
World football's governing body FIFA has put plans for an overhaul of the Club World Cup and a Global Nations League on hold, instead establishing a task force to examine the two competitions in more detail.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said an agreement was reached at Friday's FIFA Council meeting in Kigali, Rwanda to "bolster the consultation process."
Infantino will lead the task force of regional confederation presidents to look into the $25 billion overhaul of the competitions. During a news conference, Infantino said that the task force would present its findings at a council meeting in Miami on March 14.
"On the topic that heated some of the media, we have taken a decision to create a task force at least," said the FIFA president. "There are different points of views, different opinions. It's perfectly normal."
Resistance from Europe
Two proposals for a revamped Club World Cup from 2021 were presented to the council members. The first involved a 24-team tournament staged every four years over a maximum of 18 days in June, effectively replacing the current Confederations Cup. The second would shift the current annual six-team Club World Cup from December to July-August, a window currently used by European teams to undertake lucrative preseason tours to the United States and Asia.
His Global Nations League idea is for a "Final Eight" tournament every odd numbered year which would bring together the winners of various continental Nations League competitions. The Nations League format began in Europe under the auspices of continent's UEFA confederation and has since been adopted by CONCACAF, the confederation representing North America, which includes Central America and the Caribbean region.
Read more: FIFA to push for Club World Cup expansion
Infantino intended to put his plans to a vote at Friday's meeting after trying since March to gain approval from the FIFA Council to accept a $25 billion offer from a global financial consortium, including Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, to overhaul the international tournaments.
However, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin thwarted Infantino's desires after gathering complaints from European clubs and leagues. There are also concerns around Europe about the lack of consultation by FIFA, the increased demands on players and the potential for the big clubs to get even richer within some leagues.
"Common sense prevailed," Ceferin said after the meeting.
Infantino's plans had also received resistance from the World Leagues Forum, which believes imposing new competitions or expanding existing ones "would only further overload the calendar, endanger players' health and jeopardize the economy of football globally."
dv/hf (AP, dpa, Reuters)