Biennial W/Cup: FIFA to parley with member Assoc.in December
FIFA is expected to confirm that it will stage a global summit in December in order to reach more widespread consensus around the plans for the new international match calendar and their biennial World Cup concept.
The proposals have been met with opposition from European confederation UEFA, which has said it will stand against them “until common sense prevails and they are dropped”.
The December meeting will be for member associations rather than other stakeholder groups such as the ECA, the World Leagues Forum or world players’ union FIFPRO. A similar four-hour summit was held in September.
Whilst a decision on the matter hasn’t been ruled out for this year, it now looks more likely that a FIFA Congress will be called in the spring of 2022 when a definitive vote will determine the future international football schedule.
FIFA sent invitations to consult to confederations like UEFA, as well as other clubs, leagues and player stakeholder bodies, in early September.
FIFA’s plans for the men’s calendar include a major tournament every June, fewer qualifiers, one or at most two in-season international breaks and mandatory 25-day rest periods for players at the end of summer tournaments.
READ ALSOBiennial W/Cup: Luka Modric slams FIFA, what’s the point?
The calendar proposals have been developed by a technical advisory group, led by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now the chief of global football development at FIFA.