By Obiajulu Chiagoziem
Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has in an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe, called for the World Cup to be held every two years.
According to him,
“The principle would be a grouping of qualifiers every year, and at the end of the season a major competition, World Cup or continental championship. Between the two qualifying windows, the player would stay in his club all year round.
“There must be less of a mix in the calendar between the periods of club football and periods of international football, and therefore fewer transcontinental trips for the players, for example.”
“For the players, there will be no more matches, and there will be compulsory rest after the final stages, at least 25 days,”
said Wenger who sees his proposed new format coming into action in 2028, two years after the 2026 World Cup in North America and Mexico.
He went on to add that “What people want today are high-stakes, easy-to-understand competitions,” insisting there is “no financial intention behind it”.
“It’s a global project, for men’s football, but also for women’s football and youth competitions,” he concluded .
The 71 year old French man is presently a director of development at FIFA.