Zurich: FIFA president Gianni Infantino hinted at sliding away the FIFA’s biennial World Cup plan after UEFA vocally opposed to the plan of the World Cup once in every two years along with International Olympic Committee and FIFA’s top sponsors ADIDAS.
Speaking after a FIFA council meeting, Infantino said that he would be arranging to conduct a summit on December 20, for all the international Football Federations, in which the proposal of biennial World Cup will be thoroughly discussed and changes would be made only if it proves to be beneficial for everyone.
“The discussions around our World Cups have provoked some strong reactions,” Infantino said. “I have heard some critical comments I have heard many enthusiastic comments as well. The discussion is very different in different parts of the world. My objective is to try to bring everyone together, and we must come together”
“What I have said from the beginning is that we are going to change things only if we are completely convinced that it will be beneficial for everybody. For everybody. If it is beneficial for everybody, I cannot see why people would not agree to it.”
The proposal of biennial World Cup came into play earlier this year when FIFA did a feasibility study recommended by Saudi Arabian Football Federations , and the proposal had support of 211 members. Although, coming into public it instantaneously gained the veto of a lot of Federations along with the fans.
However, the conduction of summit prompts the proposal to be a staged process as of now as Infantino insisted on being open to better suggestions.
“I am confident that on 20 December we can present a common solution,” Infantino said. “How it will look like … for me everything is open … Maybe there is a way we have not yet found but speaking together we can find. So any idea, any proposal is most welcome”
Infantino has been reported as saying he would look into altering the biennial plans so that teams which entered the first competition would not compete in the second while proposals for a ‘Global Nations League’ based on the current UEFA competition are being considered as well.
