Caracas (AFP)
Fifa President Gianni Infantino, who started a South American tour in Caracas, preached again Friday in favor of the biennial World Cup, believing that "football should be truly global".
"Our duty as Fifa is to ensure that football is truly global. For it to be so, we have to analyze how to improve the football of national teams (...) and there is no competition that is approaching "the World Cup, he said at a press conference at the Olympic stadium in Caracas.
"The president of Fifa is the president of 111 countries and every one of them has the right to dream. But the dream must have a possibility to come true, because if you are to dream for eternity, you will end up do something else, "said the Italo-Swiss.
"Today, if we speak frankly, what are the real possibilities for Venezuela to participate in the World Cup?", Launched Infantino, recalling that the country of 30 million inhabitants has never participated in a World Cup and is very unlikely to do so under current conditions.
The more regular organization of a World Cup, associated with the increase already recorded from 2026 in the number of participants from 32 to 48, would thus give, according to him, more opportunity to previously minor footballing nations to take part. at a World Cup.
"The possibility of reforming the calendar with a World Cup every 2 years, we have analyzed it from a football point of view (..) it is possible. There are many advantages, because we give more opportunities for many more countries to participate, "he said.
"When it was decided that the World Cup would be every four years, about 100 years ago, Fifa had 40 countries. It is time to analyze the question," he said, reiterating that a decision will be taken at the end of the year.
"If we make changes, everyone has to be a winner," Infantino promised.
- Pooled qualifications?
-
"The prestige of a competition does not depend on its frequency. Otherwise we would organize a World Cup every 40 years. (The prestige) depends on the quality of the competition", he replied, ruling out any risk of overdoing the World Cup.
The FIFA president also estimated that this reform could allow players to approach the World Cup on an equal footing by reducing travel between continents for South American players with the establishment of grouped qualifying phases.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Colombian Federation President Ramon Jesurun at the inauguration of his branch in Barranquilla, October 13, 2021 - Colombian Football Federation / AFP / Archives
"Studies show that traveling, with jet lag and climate change, is bad," said the 51-year-old leader.
"If Messi has to do 350,000 km to play a World Cup (back and forth between Europe and America), and Cristiano Ronaldo 50,000 ... It is normal that the South Americans are a little more tired than the Europeans".
Infantino notably mentioned a statistic that speaks volumes: "Since 2002, Brazil has not won a match in the knockout phase, not in the group stage, against a European country. It's been 20 years, and it is Brazil. ! ".
The debate around a World Cup every two years was launched by ex-coach Arsène Wenger, director of development for Fifa.
This recommends a selection competition each year, alternating World and Euro, for example, for the European Confederation.
© 2021 AFP