PICTURED: APA / AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI
With another threatening gesture from Europe, the debate about the controversial FIFA plans for a World Cup every two years comes to a head. According to information from the German Press Agency, more than a dozen associations are considering ending their membership in the world association as a last option and leaving FIFA.
The AP news agency first reported on it after FIFA boss Gianni Infantino spoke to numerous European association heads on Tuesday about the reform of the men's international game calendar from 2024. A possible world championship every two years is currently being controversially discussed; the continental associations of Europe and South America categorically reject this. Aleksander Ceferin, President of the European Football Union, threatened a boycott from Europe.
Most recently, the Nordic associations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands made their position against a World Cup every two years clear in a joint statement. “In the worst case and as a last resort, it cannot be ruled out that the associations will withdraw from FIFA in protest and lack of demand for the new structure,” said the Danish association boss Jesper Möller, who is also a member of the UEFA executive.
According to Javier Tebas, head of the Spanish La Liga, a World Cup every two years would destroy “the entire ecosystem of football”. “It is possible that leagues will be downsized, the value of TV rights for these leagues will decrease, and the players will earn less there. This is how we are making football a sport for the elite. That is a big mistake,” said the 59-year-old in an interview with the ” Sport Bild “(Wednesday).
The ÖFB is in line with UEFA. “The 55 UEFA member associations, together with UEFA, are very critical of the plans based on the information currently available,” said a statement by the Football Association on Wednesday.
A possible resignation of member associations is regulated in Article 18 of the FIFA Statutes. Accordingly, this step can take place at the end of a calendar year, a corresponding declaration must be submitted no later than six months before the end of the year. This could no longer take place in 2021, and it also remains to be seen whether revolutionary associations will ultimately forego FIFA membership.
During the pandemic, the world association in 2020 alone distributed one million US dollars as direct support to each of the 211 federations. Teams from the respective countries would also no longer be able to take part in FIFA competitions, but as UEFA members would still be able to participate in tournaments of the European Continental Association.
FIFA and Infantino had announced that they wanted to have clarity by the end of the year. There could also be an extraordinary congress of FIFA member associations just before Christmas in December. In the event of a vote, the associations from Europe and South America alone would be far from a majority. As a possible compromise, however, a worldwide Nations League, modeled on the European version, could be put back on the agenda as an additional event instead of a World Cup every two years.
