fifa chief backs more open 48team world cup
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

FIFA chief backs 'more open' 48team World Cup

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today FIFA chief backs 'more open' 48team World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed in an exclusive interview with AFP
Paris - Arab Today

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed in an exclusive interview with AFP Thursday that he backs expanding the World Cup to 48 teams, giving "more of a chance to more teams". 
Infantino believes "a fundamental point" for an expanded finals would be to have it co-hosted "by several countries". 
He also declared himself "quite happy and confident for the future" of the scandal-tainted world governing body of football. 
"Nobody is perfect, I am the last to be. But I don't steal, I don't profit, I don't cheat and I don't want to allow anyone in this organisation to do so," he said. 
Infantino, 46, succeeded the disgraced Sepp Blatter at the head of FIFA, and is determined to stamp his own authority on the job as president and on the sport's future. 
He had already suggested that he would be in favor of a 40-team World Cup, up from the current 32. 
"We can consider a World Cup of 48 teams which would in fact be a 32-team format because we have seen that the ideal format is 32 teams," explained Infantino. 
"The idea would be that the best 16 teams in qualifying would qualify directly for the group phase." 
He confirmed that the 32 other teams would dispute a play-off round from which the winners would enter the next stage to join the other 16 countries. 
"This gives more chances for more teams. Furthermore, there would be no impact on the football calendar because these play-off matches would be played instead of friendlies before the World Cup. 
- '16 finals' - "From the point of view of the promotion of football, there would be '16 finals' before the real start of the group phase, real matches taking place to determine the 16 teams." 
Swiss-Italian lawyer Infantino said that the projected increase to 48 teams "is certainly going to be discussed on Oct. 13 and 14 when the next FIFA Council meets". 
"It's a project, it's an idea just as the World Cup with 40 teams is already on the table with groups of four or five teams. 
"We will certainly make a decision next year. We need to see what the impact for football at international level is going to be." 
The suggestion to widen the World Cup to 48 countries is bound to generate mixed emotions. 
The 2016 European Championship in France, organised by Infantino's former employers at UEFA, featured 24 teams in a month-long tournament with just eight countries being eliminated at the end of the first stage. 
Many argued that the format caused quality to be watered down; others were buoyed by seeing the likes of Wales make the semi-finals while Iceland stunned England on their way to the quarter-finals. 
Infantino believes a 48-team World Cup would represent "a high sporting level because from each play-off the best teams would qualify. 
"People talk a lot about a decline in the standard but in my opinion the quality of the Euros was not less good, on the contrary. There were teams who you could not imagine could be so strong and the level was very high." 
Away from a new-look World Cup, Infantino told AFP that he is also committed to forging a fresh and clean FIFA after a series of corruption scandals since May 2015. 
Infantino, who was the right-hand man of suspended Michel Platini in his UEFA career, believes he has the desire and the personnel to put FIFA's dark days behind them. 
He underlined the importance of the work "of the new general secretary Fatma Samoura, the development of women's football and the integration of former players like Zvonimir Boban, assistant secretary general, and Marco Van Basten in the area of technical development". 
"I was elected on a program of reforms, I have a lot of belief in these reforms and their implementation" he added, hailing the measures taken in the context of "good governance and transparency in financial movements". 
"There is obviously still work to do but I am quite happy and confident about the future."

Source: NNA

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

fifa chief backs more open 48team world cup fifa chief backs more open 48team world cup



GMT 06:29 2011 Monday ,14 November

Matthew cruises to win at Ochoa Invitational

GMT 03:34 2017 Wednesday ,22 March

Tillerson to skip NATO meeting next month

GMT 13:44 2013 Friday ,15 March

Israel suppress Palestinian demonstrations

GMT 16:15 2017 Monday ,01 May

Moroccan Workers’ Syndicate

GMT 11:56 2016 Wednesday ,12 October

Toyota, Suzuki eye partnership as industry consolidates

GMT 15:42 2011 Thursday ,23 June

Express checks in with foursquare

GMT 10:49 2017 Sunday ,13 August

Car rams into crowd at violent Virginia rally

GMT 17:45 2013 Sunday ,20 October

5 Indian spices that are good for your health

GMT 08:41 2012 Saturday ,15 September

Italian magazine: will print Kate topless snaps

GMT 08:02 2012 Tuesday ,05 June

Zoe Saldana in Prabal Gurung

GMT 06:11 2012 Saturday ,15 September

Tunisia’s Media Conflict: Journalists fight for freedom

GMT 14:35 2015 Friday ,24 July

Awqaf Minister hails New Suez Canal project

GMT 16:34 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Hitler's Nazi-parade Mercedes set

GMT 11:22 2011 Monday ,10 October

Paul McCartney to play in Moscow in December

GMT 05:17 2015 Friday ,25 September

Pope expresses solidarity with Muslims after stampede

GMT 05:44 2012 Saturday ,21 April

ATV engine 95 HP

GMT 03:01 2011 Monday ,19 September

Laughter, tears at US television\'s Emmy awards

GMT 12:04 2012 Wednesday ,07 March

6 Music animation draws on 10 years of eclectic radio

GMT 01:00 2015 Sunday ,05 April

Barzani congratulates Abadi on Tikrit victory

GMT 13:24 2015 Thursday ,15 October

Tesla installs 'autopilot' update

GMT 06:17 2012 Monday ,02 January

Countries across the world celebrate the New Year

GMT 04:07 2016 Tuesday ,07 June

For new era of self-driving cars

GMT 08:21 2017 Saturday ,23 December

Saudi-Sudanese Deal to Ease Transfers

GMT 11:08 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Asian markets mostly down as tax cut euphoria wanes
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday