Fifa's latest crazy idea. World Cup two yearly.

[Gordaleman]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57205872

Soon, some players will be playing more internationals, than league games.

[gandhisflipflop]

When will our governing bodies finally come to realise that less is more? There is far too much football played and the latest expansion of the european championships, the world cup and the champions league is just overkill.

[Chester Perry]

It is a political issue - I have been posting about it on the MMT this week - basically it is about the power tussle between FIFA and UEFA (and to a lesser extent CONMEBOL - the South American confederation). Naturally it all comes down to money, power and influence that also includes FIFA's attempts to seize control of club football. In the mix was the fact that FIFA had privately given tentative support to the Super League after publicly suggesting something similar in Africa and North America - a quick web search will show you just how close FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Florentino Perez the Real Madrid President are

For now this is just about an investigation into the possibility of it happening - it won't as it would put an end to all the Confederation Championships, but it will show you just how deep the divides are between Europe/South America and the rest of the world and that is what Infantino is counting on.

[Gordaleman]

When will our governing bodies finally come to realise that less is more? There is far too much football played and the latest expansion of the european championships, the world cup and the champions league is just overkill.

Can't see it getting past the consultation stage personally. What would happen to the Euros and the stupid Nations League?

[tiger76]

Madness but nothing shocks me any more about the game, and as usual it's all about money, if these leading bodies aren't careful they'll end up killing the product stone dead, what makes the WC special is it only happens every 4 years and it's similar to the Olympics in that respect, and if you tweak that formula it'll rapidly lose it's appeal.

It's bad enough that they want to expand the CL and now this new NL, but now they want to to hold the WC every 2 years bonkers.

[Hibsclaret]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57205872

Soon, some players will be playing more internationals, than league games.

Kevin Long?

[Pstotto]

If it's run more like the F.A. Cup then it could be a yearly event, with the big teams coming in at later rounds and with no qualifying groups nor any regional groupings to big up nobodies from elsewhere.

Knockout basis, no home and away fixtures, no replays and only one nation chosen for the quarter finals onward.

Meanwhile, ditch the champions league and revert to the original format of the European Cup.

... And a positive post-Bubonic Plague strategy for healthy genes.

[Pstotto]

That would also be a good forfeit for the big clubs to pay for attempting to destroy national football, a genuine European Champions Cup competition and not including the Levant and the Eurasian countries and any other wannabe hangers on to European football glory.

[Pstotto]

Russia out of it but Ukraine in it.

Turkey out as part of the Levant.

[minnieclaret]

but it will show you just how deep the divides are between Europe/South America and the rest of the world and that is what Infantino is counting on.

You’d think in that situation the power would be with Europe/SAm. A World Cup without the super nations would be laughable.

[Chester Perry]

You’d think in that situation the power would be with Europe/SAm. A World Cup without the super nations would be laughable.

yes but they have many less votes than the rest of FIFA, and those countries and confederations want a share of their riches - in many ways it parallels what we are seeing with the Premier League and the EFL, the Premier League/Champions League and Super League

[Pstotto]

The impact of a WC every two years on national leagues which come first, means the first sacrifice is the Champions League anyway.

[tiger76]

If it's run more like the F.A. Cup then it could be a yearly event, with the big teams coming in at later rounds and with no qualifying groups nor any regional groupings to big up nobodies from elsewhere.

Knockout basis, no home and away fixtures, no replays and only one nation chosen for the quarter finals onward.

Meanwhile, ditch the champions league and revert to the original format of the European Cup.

... And a positive post-Bubonic Plague strategy for healthy genes.

Interesting ideas there Pstotto, but they'll never be adopted unfortunately they contain too much common sense.

I definitely agree on the CL reverting back to a proper KO tournament again, however the big clubs will never vote for that format, even though they continue to complain about fixture congestion, and trimming the blotted CL would seem a natural solution, I rarely take an interest until the KO stages anyway, as you can pretty much say with certainty who'll emerge from the group stages.

[Chester Perry]

Interesting ideas there Pstotto, but they'll never be adopted unfortunately they contain too much common sense.

I definitely agree on the CL reverting back to a proper KO tournament again, however the big clubs will never vote for that format, even though they continue to complain about fixture congestion, and trimming the blotted CL would seem a natural solution, I rarely take an interest until the KO stages anyway, as you can pretty much say with certainty who'll emerge from the group stages.

UEFA will never agree to reverting back to a Champions only Knockout - they earn to much from the existing format (and that gets shared out across Europe (even our club gets a slice of it) it is only 7 months ago that the UEFA president almost made a deal with Andrea Agnelli that the Champions League would become a closed shop with a smaller group fighting promotion and relegation from it - they want/need the big clubs.

[tiger76]

UEFA will never agree to reverting back to a Champions only Knockout - they earn to much from the existing format (and that gets shared out across Europe (even our club gets a slice of it) it is only 7 months ago that the UEFA president almost made a deal with Andrea Agnelli that the Champions League would become a closed shop with a smaller group fighting promotion and relegation from it - they want/need the big clubs.

No I know it won't happen and I understand the reasons why, but it just doesn't whet my appetite until the latter stages, maybe it's just me but the qualifiers and group stages bore me rigid, hence why I rarely pay close attention I might glance at the results, but beyond that I'm apathetic to the early rounds.

A closed shop that favours the big clubs, hmm! where have I heard that suggested recently, perhaps UEFA aren't the saviours of football that they make out after all.

[Chester Perry]

No I know it won't happen and I understand the reasons why, but it just doesn't whet my appetite until the latter stages, maybe it's just me but the qualifiers and group stages bore me rigid, hence why I rarely pay close attention I might glance at the results, but beyond that I'm apathetic to the early rounds.

A closed shop that favours the big clubs, hmm! where have I heard that suggested recently, perhaps UEFA aren't the saviours of football that they make out after all.

exactly

[Pstotto]

FIFA is the world governing body and UEFA and also the forfeit for the attempted coup has to be met on football terms.

Goodbye Champions League.

It is about money spoiling the game is the coup outrage.

[Pstotto]

The football forfeit is the loss of The Champions League but in its place a European Cup League where the Champion of each country goes into a European Cup League for one year and then you go back to your league for the next year's Champions to have a go.

To cut the numbers down post-covid and carbon footprint wise, the Levant is excluded and also the Eurasian countries.

Two leagues of 20 teams, an entirely new league each year.

Top of bottom league earns a place in top league for that country the season after.

Russia and Turkey are out, they can sort their own regional football tournament.

[boatshed bill]

It's ridiculous.
Do the same with the Euros and there's a major international tournament every season.
Given that most international games are dead boring how's this going to help?

[Pstotto]

With an F.A. Cup-type format, no qualifying games at all, so that cuts a lot of waste and bore out.

[beddie]

If I’m honest I’ve lost some interest in football over this last twelve months and the idea of this proceeding just makes me turn away further.

[boatshed bill]

With an F.A. Cup-type format, no qualifying games at all, so that cuts a lot of waste and bore out.

No seeding?

[Pstotto]

No seeding.

[Pstotto]

Latvia v. Holland
Papua New Guinea v. Germany

Whatever comes out of the hat played at the home team ground.

[Pstotto]

UEFA originally had 35 members.

If you take out the Eurasian countries and the Levant it leaves 44 nations.

Instead of two leagues of 22 for a two-tier European Cup League, the bottom four of the 2nd league fight it out with 4 who didn't make the cut the year before on a quarter final play-off basis, to make up two leagues of 20 teams.

This one year Europe trip for national Champions relieves the domestic leagues of domination because there's always a new champion.

Tyson Fury fights for the World title not the English title every year.

The national cups of each league would then gain more kudos if that led to a re-instating of The European Cup Winners Cup as a knockout competition, as the only other channel of European glory and with a proper football reason for being.

Ditch the Europa League completely.

Ditch The League Cup as well.

This frees up so much time and offers a better sporting package.

This then would allow for a WC (F.A. cup style knockout) tournament to be every two years and a European Championships every two years.

Proper competition and audience excitement A.Y.R. about FOOTBALL rather than who-done-it VAR betting drivel for the folk who don't do football who are don't doing it to death at all proper football fans expense.

This also cuts out a lot of bad money.

The Eurasian clubs can form their own federation and the Levant too and grow up to their geography and stop being wannabes.

[Pstotto]

You re-draw the money map, CP.