SOCCER
World Leagues Forum furious with FIFA plans
Earlier on Friday, president Gianni Infantino announced a series of changes implemented by FIFA that would lead to an increase in elite-leel matches.
Speaking at a press conference two days before the Qatar 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that there would be a brand-new format for the FIFA Club World Cup from 2025 onwards, as well as other changes which would affect international soccer and the women’s game. However, FIFA’s plans have been met by strong resistance by the World Leagues Forum (WLF), the world association of professional leagues which has more than 44 members, including Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues.
A media release from the WLF later on Friday revealed their unhappiness that FIFA’s decisions had been made “unilaterally without consulting, let alone agreeing, with those who are directly affected by them: the leagues, their member clubs, the players and fans.”
According to the WLF, the changes “could have damaging consequences for the football economy and player welfare” with the fact that “the calendar is already overloaded” leading to “the risk of fixture congestion, further player injuries and a distortion of competitive balance.”
The WLF say they will meet in January to discuss the best way to respond to FIFA proposed changes to the make-up of the sport at elite level.
What did the World Leagues forum say about the FIFA proposals?
The full statement from the WLF is as follows:
“The World Leagues Forum (WLF), the world association of professional football leagues, has been informed that the FIFA Council has today made significant decisions about the international match calendar that could have damaging consequences for the football economy and player welfare.
“These decisions have been made unilaterally without consulting, let alone agreeing, with those who are directly affected by them: the leagues, their member clubs, the players and fans.
“FIFA announced a 32-team Club World Cup in 2025 and decided key principles for the new International Match Calendar post-2024. FIFA also announced its intention to review the men’s World Cup format in 2026 to potentially include significantly more games with groups of 4 teams instead of 3 as initially agreed.
“As the calendar is already overloaded, with longstanding domestic club competitions and ever-expanding international competitions, FIFA’s decision creates the risk of fixture congestion, further player injuries and a distortion of competitive balance.
“The interests of the football community, which we expect FIFA to take care of, are not best-served by piling-up FIFA-owned matches which only involve the top 1% of players. Instead, we should all expect FIFA to create the environment for a complementary balance between domestic and international football for the benefit of the whole game.
“The WLF is contacting FIFA to ask for a transparent process for their calendar and competition decisions, which must involve meaningful agreements with the leagues.
“We will convene a board meeting in January to review FIFA’s response and assess the impact their proposals could have on the foundations of the game at domestic level.”