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Football World Cup every two years: who can still stop the Fifa project?

2021-10-06T16:40:24.036Z


Arsène Wenger, the VRP of Fifa in this affair, dreams that this new format will be voted at the end of 2021 and will launch in 2028. A pr


A World Cup of football and the Olympic Games organized a few weeks apart.

Here is what perhaps awaits sports lovers from the summer of 2028. For six months, Fifa and Arsène Wenger, its director of development, have been campaigning publicly for the organization of a men's and women's World Cup. years.

A true Copernican revolution.

In the ideal world of President Infantino and his VRP, this great reform, already desired by Sepp Blatter in 1999, will be voted on by the end of the year.

In fact, there is a lot of resistance, especially from the Europeans, not in the majority but with colossal financial and sporting power.

Who supports this project?

The African, Asian and Oceanic federations applauded very quickly.

Their calculation seems clear: who says twice as many tournaments, says twice the chances of participating in them and therefore of income for these bodies whose budget depends enormously on Fifa.

In his communication operation, Arsène Wenger also relies on a gallery of flashy names.

Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Drogba, Owen, Terry, Okocha but also French people like Youri Djorkaeff or David Trezeguet… The technique is classic for Fifa when it tries to impose what it knows is divisive or even unpopular.

"If you ask Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo if they want more opportunities to win the World Cup, I'm sure they would say yes," said former Brazilian striker Ronaldo.

Even if, for the moment, no renowned active player has brought his blessing to a biennial tournament.

Who openly opposes it?

UEFA and the South American federation (Conmebol) are on the front line against this project. They point to the risk of desecrating competition - like several coaches including Didier Deschamps - and overwhelming the organizations of international men and women, who would alternate from one summer to another between a World Cup and a continental competition. Fifa promises the opposite by bringing together the qualifying phases - over a month (October) or two (October and March). Note that the FFF does it apart. Noël Le Graët said in L'Équipe to allow himself time to know “whether this project enriches or impoverishes the French Federation”.

Wenger's idea of ​​offering “high-stakes, easy-to-understand competitions” - a formula reminiscent of the European Superleague project - does not appeal to fan groups.

“It will become impossible financially and in terms of time to follow his team.

From a fan's point of view, we will have to choose between the Euro, the World Cup, and between the men's and women's teams, it's absurd, ”breathes Ronan Evain, coordinator of the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) network.

He suggests, another argument of the European authorities, to promote the high level of women, "a big breeding ground for development", rather than putting it in competition with men's football.

Other sports, such as athletics, take a dim view of this systematic cohabitation each summer with a football tournament.

Are negotiations possible?

Everyone agrees on the observation: we must put an end to the messy articulation between club and selection sequences, secure rest times for players and adapt to new modes of consumption. But the question of how divides, each wishing to padlock their interests. FIFpro, the world footballers union, denounces this trench warfare, undermined by complex political, financial and electoral issues. "The proposals, whether they are good, bad or horrible for football, give rise to very little debate or consultation, because everything is aligned with the commercial interests of the various competitions," Secretary General Jonas Baer said on Monday. -Hoffman.

Ronan Evain agrees: “What is pitiful is the inability of the authorities to sit around a table. The fact that football has to evolve and reform is undeniable. But too often, leaders are obsessed with the issue of formats and forget that the most important is the issue of equality between the teams, a simpler and leaner schedule, a better distribution of income. and better quality matches. "

From an economic point of view, the prospect of increasing the income and visibility of sport also raises serious doubts.

“The leaders of football, like in other sports, think that increasing the quantity is the same as increasing the income.

But they forget the law of decreasing income: the more we offer things, the less it pays in the long run, says Wladimir Andreff, sports economist.

It is stupid knowing that we are already in a situation of saturation and excess supply.

According to him, in its current governance, world football is inevitably at an impasse.

“It cannot work when a parent company, here FIFA, is less rich and powerful than its subsidiary, UEFA”.

Who votes and when?

By the end of the year, a "world summit" will be organized by Fifa. Knowing that the 211 federations each have one vote, UEFA and Conmebol - 65 voters - are in the minority. In the spring, the motion tabled by the Saudis, close to Infantino, to request a feasibility study - available in November - had been approved by 166 delegates.

This future vote, however, could only be the first chapter in a long process.

Because it will then be necessary to apply this device, that is to say find broadcasters, sponsors, host countries… and ultimately convince the selections.

UEFA is already brandishing the threat of a boycott.

As for the European Association of Clubs (ECA), another stronghold of football business, led by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and bringing together 247 clubs, it asks for a right of scrutiny and claims the possibility of vetoing in the name of a convention bilateral.

The battle of opinions has only just begun, and the legal one could soon follow.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-10-06

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