The debate over a biennial World Cup has been the subject of strong opinions from politicians, sponsors and governing bodies, most commonly in opposition. Now, finally, players have had their say and they appear to be against it too.
A survey by the international players’ union Fifpro has found that 75 per cent of players in the men’s game want the tournament to continue on a four-year cycle. It also has good news for organisers Fifa, however, showing that players consider the World Cup to be the most important competition in the professional game, alongside their own domestic leagues.
Compiling the response of 1,000 current professionals from across six continents and more than 70 nationalities, the survey found the strongest opposition to the tournament in Europe and Asia with 77 per cent of players preferring a World Cup every four years; 63 per cent of players in the Americas were opposed too, but there was less resistance in Africa with only 49 per cent of players supporting the current format and the rest split between a two- or three-year cycle. In total, 81 per cent of players rank either their domestic league, or the World Cup as their favourite competition.
The results are part of a broader Fifpro study into player workload and the football calendar, with the union having expressed frequent concerns that elite players, especially those playing at international level, face greater risk of injury and burnout from overplaying.
“The player survey shows most footballers around the world have a clear preference to play the World Cup every four years,” Fifpro’s general secretary, Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, said. “At the same time, the results demonstrate the importance of domestic league competitions to players. These leagues are the bedrock of our game and we have to do more to strengthen them both for the sake of players and the overall stability of professional football.”
Fifa’s plans to reform the World Cup cut across a number of issues for stakeholders, not least the potential revenues a new competition could suck in from elsewhere. Player welfare is a concern too, although Fifa’s proposals - as initially drafted by Arsène Wenger - claim to have a focus on this issue by reducing the number of international qualifying matches and placing them within one or two distinct blocks during a season.
With criticism from players joining that of other groups - most vocally Uefa and political bodies elsewhere in Europe - any reforms remain uncertain. Before Christmas Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, drew back from putting the plans to a vote. Another crucial meeting, the Fifa Congress, is at the end of March. The governing body, meanwhile, is continuing to consult with various stakeholders, including Fifpro and the Professional Footballers’ Association, with whom Infantino met in Manchester three weeks ago.
After that meeting, Infantino said: “Fifa is listening to everybody. We took note of the valuable opinions and we’re sure this will lead to more constructive exchanges. This is what we wanted from the beginning of this process, to facilitate an open platform where everyone’s view can be brought to the table.”
