“If we do not want to lose the young people, we must do a biennial World Cup”

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, defended the celebration of the World Cup every two years for, among other reasons, “not to lose the young people” who need encouragement not to disengage from football, after the summit with 207 member federations in which a new international calendar was addressed this Monday.

The FIFA presented in it a feasibility study on its proposal, which includes that the World Cup be played every two years, and at its conclusion Infantino He announced that a final decision has not yet been taken and that it may not be made in March either, when the annual congress of the organization he presides over takes place in Doha.

Starting in January, he said, the 700-page study on the feasibility of changing the calendar will begin to be analyzed in detail and then, without a specific date, reaching a final agreement. For Infantino, it is important to dialogue and listen to all the parties involved to reflect and reach agreements.

While reaching that point, he dismembered the reasons why it would be interesting for the entire soccer planet to organize a World Cup every two years. One of them would be focused on young people, who with less time between each World Cup, in their opinion, would become more hooked on football.

“If we do not want to lose the youth of football, we must offer them possibilities to excite them. There is nothing like a World Cup every two years for this. A poll has been done and the younger generation wants a World Cup more often after more than 100,000 votes “, He said.

The goal, he said, “is to analyze the situation around the world.” “My job is to work with all parties and reconcile positions and see what is good for the world of football and how we can move forward so that there are fewer gaps. How to invest in youth soccer to give opportunities to all countries. We continue working on it, “he added.

In addition, he said that a new calendar would be “viable” from an economic and sporting point of view and interesting to “invest” more money in football and in turn “reinvest” it in its development throughout the world.

“It is a very important project that will help bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Everyone will benefit, the big, the small, the rich and the poor. Everyone would have additional possibilities to play and have additional income protecting the leagues and thinking of the fans. This is what has been presented today, “he clarified.

Infantino said that today 70 percent of the income of the national teams is in Europe and 30 in the rest of the world. With the FIFA proposal, he pointed out, the percentages would equalize to 60-40 without prejudice for Europe because it would earn 2 billion euros more than with the current 70 percent.

“The World Cup every two years is just one of the elements of the study. We talk about the future of football, the impact we want for the world of football. We cannot tell the rest of the world that it is very good, that football is global. In some countries, they can have the World Cup every two weeks because they have the best players, but in other countries they cannot see the best players in a lifetime, “he said.

Questioned whether the world It would lose prestige and interest by being disputed every two years instead of every four, he argued that this prestige does not depend on the time it takes to organize between one and the other, but on other more important factors.

“The prestige of the World Cup is absolute. It does not depend on its frequency. If not, it would have to be played not every four, every 40 years and it would be ten times more prestigious.. A World Cup is prestigious for the quality it has and for the global impact. 4,000 million people watch the World Cup and studies show us that there would be no problem, “he said.

“Not only because of the World Cup on the issue of the impact of football. The football ecosystem in general would have very specific and clear advantages. The cake is bigger for everyone. This ‘more for all’ allows us to invest in the development of footballers in the world. It is something very important, “he added.

Regarding the rejection expressed by UEFA and CONMEBOL to the Infantino initiative, he pointed out that “they are opposed because they did not know the data presented today”; He was “sure” that “Now they will reconsider and support the project seamlessly” and detailed the concerns conveyed to him by the South American member federations.

“They told us that it was essential to play the 18 qualifying games. That is possible with the schedule playing two World Cups. And other interesting games could be played between South American teams. More qualifying games compared to today, more interest. The Copa América can be played every two years or every four, as they prefer. The first proposal to organize every two years was from the Conmembol. Then he changed his mind. This debate is going to stay. They want to advance in this sense. We will see what the final decision is. “

On whether the new project of the FIFA can be similar to that of the Superliga that some European clubs tried, he made it clear that, for him, the “argument” is just “backwards” because they are contrary ideas.

“Now is the openness, participation and inclusion of everyone in football. It is giving opportunities to everyone. This is the fundamental principle of this project. Everyone who talks about the structures of football, the pyramid and solidarity should support this project or at least debate it in a constructive way. “

Finally, he explained of what will be the steps to be followed in the following months before approving or rejecting the new project. “Starting in January, we are going to see what situation we find ourselves in, what can be improved. It is not a precise date. We want to make the best decisions. I am not going to commit to anything in Congress,” he said. .

“A decision may have even been made earlier through an extraordinary session. Or it may not be made during one. We are flexible. We have presented a large study today and before we commit to the next phases in a concrete way, we want to see the reactions and see if it advances quickly or deserves more time, “he concluded.