Biennial World Cup to kick off only if 'beneficial' to all

ZURICH • Fifa president Gianni Infantino has suggested he is open to dropping the controversial biennial World Cup plan, saying that he first wanted to seek consensus over the proposal after facing fierce criticism from European federations.

Speaking after a meeting of the Fifa Council in Zurich on Wednesday, the 51-year-old said Fifa's leaders agreed to hold a global summit on Dec 20 to discuss the idea of a biennial World Cup.

But he did not commit to holding a binding vote on any proposals and said any changes would be made only if they were "beneficial for everybody".

"The discussions around our World Cups have provoked some strong reactions," Infantino said.

"I have heard some critical comments, I have heard many enthusiastic comments as well. My objective is to try to bring everyone together, we must come together.

"What I have said from the beginning is that we are going to change things only if we are completely convinced that it will be beneficial for everybody. I am confident that on December 20, we can present a common solution. That must be our main objective, which is to reach a consensus."

European football governing body Uefa's president Aleksander Ceferin remains strongly opposed to the plan, saying there would be "terrible consequences for football in general" if Infantino pushed ahead.

He felt that a biennial World Cup would "dilute" the prestige of the tournament and that it would be a "killer" for players as the fixture calendar would be even more congested.

Ceferin has also said that Uefa would boycott an additional World Cup and his opposition to the plan has been echoed by European clubs and leagues.

The South American confederation and the International Olympic Committee have also outlined their opposition to the proposal.

Fifa, meanwhile, will now wait for the results of a feasibility study and also an economic analysis of the financial impact of the extra World Cup, which is expected to be delivered before the summit.

A meeting between technical groups of Fifa and Uefa is also scheduled for next week.

Infantino also suggested the days of one country hosting a World Cup were numbered. "Probably we'll see more World Cups organised by two or three different countries," he said.

"If we do so, every region in the world... can not only dream but really plan to organise a World Cup."

He explained that if five countries put together joint bids for World Cups, that with the men's and women's tournaments, 100 countries in 20 years "could be sharing the burden - and the pleasure - of hosting a World Cup".

"This would leave in all these countries an important legacy without affecting the economy of the country in a negative way," he said.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE