October 14 – The French league has voted to oppose FIFA’s plans to stage the World Cup every two years, slamming the proposal as “irreparably negative for the domestic leagues”.
A statement from the Professional Football League (LFP) in response to the biennial revolution that Zurich has been promoting heavily in the last months, said: “Without prior consultation, FIFA wants to take a decision which is in its sole interest and the impact of which is irreparably negative for the domestic leagues and the clubs as employers of the players.”
With its concerns, the LFP echoes the arguments of some of Zurich’s other opponents. UEFA has repeatedly stated that the world federation has not conducted a proper consultation with stakeholders in shaping plans that will profoundly remodel the global game. Other European leagues have also denounced the plans for having a negative impact on the domestic club game.
“This project would also provide for the lengthening of international periods, which would greatly disrupt the domestic championship series and provoke disinterest among supporters,” said the LFP. “The development of football does not happen only through the World Cup, it rests above all on domestic championships.”
The LFP’s opposition is a break from the view of the French Football Federation (FFF), whose controversial president Noel Le Graet has backed the FIFA plans. No other UEFA members have so far come out publicly to support the world federation’s biennial revolution. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said that his confederation is prepared to boycott a biennial World Cup.
Previously, French coach Didier Deschamps, who led the world champions to a Nations League victory recently, and Hugo Lloris also questioned the wisdom of reducing the World Cup cycle from four years to two years. The LFP added: “The World Cup is a world heritage that must be preserved and not trivialized.”
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