Just as the teams and their member associations in the top 12 were worried about the competition system, on the 24th, according to UAE media reports, the AFC has recently conducted remote video communication with FIFA on related issues. It is reported that due to sponsor factors, FIFA and AFC still tend to maintain the home and away format of the top 12. However, it needs to be explained that, given the severe situation of international epidemic prevention and control, plans often fail to keep up with changes. Therefore, no one can avoid the occurrence of changes before the last moment.
Remote video conferencing to communicate the top 12 competition system plan
After the Qatar World Preliminary 40 finals, how the next 12 finals will run has attracted attention from all parties. Due to the current repeated epidemics in various countries and regions in Asia, all countries and regions are facing severe epidemic prevention situations. Under this circumstance, it is indeed doubtful whether the top 12 matches can adopt the home and away system as originally planned. The UAE media revealed that FIFA and AFC are communicating on related issues in recent days, hoping to come to a conclusion before the draw for the top 12 matches on July 1, so as to facilitate the preparation of the teams. In the meantime, the staff of the FIFA and AFC competition departments also jointly held a remote video conference to communicate the plan of the top 12 competition system.
3 sets of plans are proposed for the current situation of the epidemic
According to the UAE media, during this communication, the two sides proposed 3 sets of top 12 competition plans based on the current epidemic situation and epidemic prevention measures of the member associations (regions) in Asia. One of the options is to use the three international competition day cycles in September, October, and November this year to arrange for 12 teams to compete in a certain place in a centralized game system, that is to say, 1 game every month. Games. During each game, each team will play 2 games. In this way, the top 12 can finish the game according to the established schedule. The teams are recruited by overseas clubs for their nationals, and they will not be affected. From late January to early February 2022, the teams will resume the home and away system and play the 7th and 8th rounds.
The content of the second plan is that all 10 rounds will be held in 3 times, 4 rounds will be played for the first time, 4 rounds will be played for the second time, and the remaining 2 rounds will be played for the last time. As for the time of the game, the parties will further discuss. All matches must also be arranged during the international match day cycle to facilitate the recruitment of overseas club players.
Scheme 3 proposes that the 10 rounds of competition are divided into two cycles, that is, each team needs to have two concentrated competitions. The first loop and the second loop each have 5 rounds of competition, but the competition period occupied by each loop will definitely exceed 14 days. For this reason, FIFA must extend the international match day cycle of this stage as in the arrangement of the top 40 match days. At the same time, in order to ensure fair competition, the two round-robin events are held in East Asia and West Asia respectively. The competition venues are all neutral venues. In response to this plan, the AFC also recommends that the first round of matches be scheduled in November this year, because FIFA will host the Arab Cup in Qatar in December this year to warm up for the World Cup next year. The AFC also recommends that the second round of matches be scheduled in January next year. As a result, the play-offs between the top 12 Asian teams and the third place in the two groups can be arranged during the International Competition Day cycle in March next year.
Sponsors have difficulty accepting the centralized system of competitions
However, from the perspective of this communication, it is difficult for FIFA to accept the above-mentioned motion to change the top 12 competition system. FIFA explained that they have heard a considerable number of complaints from sponsors. The AFC also feels this, because affected by the epidemic, the switch to the centralized competition system in the second half of the top 40 matches has caused a relatively direct damage to the interests of the competition’s business partners. Sponsors of the AFC events believe that the world is currently plagued by the epidemic, but with the exception of the Asian qualifiers, the qualifiers on other continents are basically running as planned, and all of them adopt the home and away system. Therefore, if the Asian qualifiers continue to adopt the tournament system, it will be difficult for sponsors to accept it.
Although in the process of implementing the home and away system, FIFA and AFC must fully consider the current situation of the global epidemic, and at the same time, they must carefully respond to the strict epidemic prevention measures of participating member associations (regions), but they must also face up to their own problems. All kinds of crises, especially economic crises. Take the AFC as an example. Once the top 12 tournament adopts the tournament system, all business rights and interests of the event, including the box office, may face varying degrees of loss, and the AFC may even be at risk of “bankruptcy”. In this case, it is not surprising that they focus on “taking care of” the interests of sponsors. However, judging from the frequent changes during the execution of the competition plan in various major international events during the epidemic, no one can guarantee that the top 12 games will adopt the home and away system.
Text/Reporter Xiao Zhe
(Beijing Youth Daily)Return to Sohu to see more
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