Play less, play everyone. Fifa reworks an old march slogan as a synthesis of its reform. A new calendar to reduce matches, shorten journeys, increase the days of rest of the players and also the chances of appearing in a World Cup, because with this project the cadence would become biennial. Instead of five windows dedicated to the national team between October and May, there would be only two (October and March) or even one (October) in a longer format with few travel dates. The clubs would be happy to avoid the constant comings and goings and the coaches happy to be able to manage them for a dozen consecutive days. So far, the calculation removes only one match per season from a hypothetical European player but increases the rest periods. At Fifa they are aiming for a more salable format and revenues that certainly could not double, but increase considerably yes. To do this, you need to abolish the friendlies, reschedule the qualifiers and lock up the flanks to avoid being faced with the 6 or 7 to 0 of some Germany-Liechtenstein. According to the technicians, “it has been since 1930 that the structure of dates has not been handled and the world has changed”. The feasibility plan will be presented in December alongside an economic simulation. Uefa and Fifa quarrel remotely pretending to speak to third parties to explain their positions.
“We will talk,” they promise from Zurich, we will fight, they reply from Nyon and the consequences of the head-to-head will certainly not remain in Switzerland. –
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