Biennial World Cup won't be 'special'

DUBAI • France forward Kylian Mbappe and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski have expressed their reservations about a biennial World Cup, saying quality would take a hit if overworked players are forced to play the tournament every two years.

The idea of a World Cup in alternate years has been gathering steam with Fifa president Gianni Infantino trying to get support from national federations, saying the switch would create an extra US$4.4 billion (S$6 billion) in revenue.

The world football governing body last week also dangled a carrot of US$19 million every four years to each of its 211 member federations if it succeeds in its attempts to revamp the quadrennial tournament.

Fifa's next congress to discuss the issue will be held on March 31.

However, the proposal has met with staunch opposition from Uefa and Conmebol, the governing bodies of Europe and South America, respectively, with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin threatening to boycott any additional tournament.

While former stars like Brazil great Ronaldo have stated a World Cup every two years would be "amazing", other players are not thrilled by the prospect, with burnout a real possibility.

"I'm nobody to say if it's a good or bad idea, but my opinion is the World Cup is the World Cup - it's a special thing because it's something (held) every four years," 2018 World Cup winner and Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe said at the Globe Soccer Awards, which was held in Dubai on Monday.

"(It is) the best thing, the best competition in the world. If you hold it every two years, it can start to be normal.

"We play over 60 games in a year. You have Euros, the World Cup, now the Nations League - so many competitions. We are happy to play but when it's too much, it's too much. We have to recover, we have to stay relaxed.

"If people want to see quality in the game, the emotion, to see what makes the beauty of football, I think we have to respect the health of players."

Citing the packed schedule, Bayern Munich star and reigning Best Fifa Men's Player Lewandowski added: "If you want to offer something special, something different, we also need a break.

"If we have a World Cup every two years, the expectation is the time where footballers play at a high level will go down... It is physically and mentally impossible."

REUTERS