A World Cup every two years, envisaged for several months by Fifa, "would
dilute
" the "
jewel
" of world football, assured Aleksander Ceferin, the boss of UEFA, on Monday.
"
You have probably heard that FIFA is conducting a feasibility study
" to double the frequency of its premier competition, launched the Slovenian leader at the opening of the general assembly of the European Club Association (ECA).
“
Well, we think the jewel of the World Cup is precisely its value because of its rarity.
Organizing it every two years (...) will reduce its legitimacy and unfortunately will dilute the World Cup itself,
”he argued.
For the boss of UEFA, who had swept away in mid-June the “
impossible
”
project
of Fifa in an interview with AFP, international and club meetings “
fully
occupy
the physical and commercial space
” of the calendar , which would not benefit from being densified.
“
Our players don't need to spend even more of their summers in grueling tournaments, instead of resting and recovering,
” said Ceferin.
UEFA's hostility to FIFA maneuvers had been known for months, with the European body seeking to make room for its own competitions, particularly since the announcement in April of a new League of Nations formula. champions from 2024, with 100 additional matches per season.
And after the summer break, the war on the international calendar should start again in the fall: main promoter of the World Cup every two years within FIFA, the French Arsène Wenger again defended this idea last Friday with the daily
The Team
.
Speaking after Aleksander Ceferin, the boss of Paris SG and new president of the ECA, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, also considered that the overhaul of the calendar was "
the most urgent
" of the challenges facing the clubs, which "
support all risks
”of the overload imposed on the players.
“
International competitions can not stifle the links of supporters and players with clubs
”, nor amputate the “
vital income
” that leagues derive from championships, he recalled.
Without quoting FIFA, the Qatari leader ruled that this issue required "
an honest commitment and not unilateral and self-serving decisions
".
