The national coaches of all national teams in men’s football, including Louis van Gaal, have been invited by Arsène Wenger to attend an online video call to discuss the future of football. Among other things, a possible new playing calendar from 2024 and FIFA’s new World Cup plans are on the agenda. As head of international football development at the World Football Association, Wenger is not unsympathetic to drastic changes in the current playing calendar.
The video calls are scheduled for Tuesday 19 and Thursday 21 October. In addition to a possible new playing calendar from 2024, according to the World Football Association, Wenger will also talk to the national coaches about themes such as the health of the players, the international matches and the frequency of World Cups. Wenger himself is in favor of a World Cup that will take place every two years, but would like to know how the national coaches view this idea, among other things. “Their input is essential,” the former Arsenal manager told FIFA’s website.
“Opportunities to come together are rare, but we must seize these moments because such a dialogue helps us all to protect the unique place football holds in society and to make it truly global,” Wenger continued. FIFA president Gianni Infantino is also a big proponent of hosting a World Cup every two years. “There are many benefits to it. This way you give the opportunity to more countries to participate. When it was decided to hold the World Cup every four years, about 100 years ago, FIFA had 40 countries. It’s time to analyze the case. But if we make changes, everyone should benefit,” he said recently on a visit to Venezuela.
The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants FIFA to first open a wider consultation to organize the World Cup every two years. “The meeting revealed that a number of international federations, national football associations, clubs, players, players’ organizations and coaches have expressed strong reservations and concerns about plans to increase revenue for FIFA,” the IOC said in a statement. . In any case, the World Cup plans of the World Football Association cannot count on support from UEFA. “It’s impossible, a totally irrational idea,” President Aleksander Ceferin told Portugal’s Record.