Since FIFA announced the project prepared by Arsène Wenger to make a World Cup every two years instead of four, different actors and protagonists of the world of football raised their voices to either endorse or reject the decision of the highest governing body of world football.
Within those actors, we have soccer players, coaches or leaders, who see the chance with good or bad eyes depending on what best suits their needs.
The main dilemma, however, will be how to accommodate in the calendar (already quite loaded) by the multiplication of matches of national teams, who should play a “compressed” Qualifiers (as those that are being played now, because of the coronavirus pandemic) to achieve classification.
Next, we review the main voices for and against the proposal:
IN FAVOR
-
RONALDO
“There are many benefits to this new calendar. Having the most important competition in the world every two years would be spectacular. Yesterday at a dinner with many friends, we talked about how beautiful the World Cup in Russia was, about everything that has happened since then and what we miss, because it is a competition that stops the world, everyone sees it. “
-
PEP GUARDIOLA
“The World Cup is incredible, it is the biggest tournament and as a spectator I always enjoy watching it. If I could watch it every two years it would be good. I completely agree with Arsene Wenger that if he doesn’t the World Cup another competition will. What he has proposed is a tournament of the highest quality. “
-
JAVIER MASCHERANO
“It is positive to play the World Cup every two years (…) Not only does it make sense, but it is a fundamental part of a broader and more positive change in the international calendar. The first time I heard it it seemed strange because we are used to thinking about the World Cup every four years, but then I thought about it more. From the player’s perspective, no one can imagine the pressure one has when we know that a single mistake can risk the only chance in life to go far or to get something important. It’s too cruel to have to wait another four years for a new chance. “
-
MEXICAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION
“Being able to bring an event like the World Cup to the fans twice as many times will always be interesting, if we can increase the chances every two years of reaching our goals such as a fifth game and later the semi-finals, it is of great interest to us. ”.
-
FOUZI LEKJAA (ROYAL MOROCCAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION)
“The World Cup has only had eight winners in its history and the majority of participants remain the same. We need the World Cup to be a more inclusive competition. The number of participants has already increased and now we need to increase their frequency ”.
-
DAVID SUAZO
“It will be two years of quality with players who do not arrive after four years of processes; it means that they will grow faster with high-quality competitions and obviously value the product of each country. And the boys, in the case of Honduras, will have the possibility to participate more frequently. For our country it would be a great benefit. “
-
JARED BORGETTI
Playing a World Cup every two years implies having the possibility of us who like football, being able to observe generations of players by countries for much longer, observing that football level competing at the highest level with other teams, because you play a World Cup now and In four years, you don’t know if that generation is going to continue to be that strong team that it was, but if it is every two years you have the possibility of being able to see a team at its highest level again and be able to correct closer situations. In two years it is easier to have players at a better level than every four years “.
-
MAURICIO MACRI (Executive President of the FIFA Foundation)
“Infantino’s proposal for the World Cup every two years is very audacious. In addition, four years seems like an eternity to wait for a new world event. It gives me enormous illusion and increases the chances that my country will have a World Cup again.”
AGAINST
-
CONMEBOL
“A World Cup every two years could distort the most important football competition on the planet, lowering its quality and undermining its exclusive nature and its current standards of demand. The World Cup is an event that concentrates the attention and expectations of billions of people because it represents the culmination of a process of elimination that lasts the entire four-year period and has its own dynamics and appeal. “
-
EUROPEAN CLUB ASSOCIATION
“The World Cup every two years would have a direct and destructive impact, endangering the health and well-being of the players, diluting the value and meaning of club and national team competitions, which would conflict with women’s and women’s tournaments. youths”.
-
JURGEN KLOPP
“Imagine there was a World Cup and a European Championship every two years. That means that the players would have to play a big tournament every year. They would only have three weeks off each year. All the new ideas that have appeared in recent years have tried to add more matches. That’s not good in the long run. “
-
GARETH BALE
“I like the current tradition. It has that prestige, like the Olympics, where it is repeated every four years. It feels a little more special because it doesn’t happen too often (…) It makes it a little more prestigious … Really I don’t like that every two years because it loses that part of the story. “
-
GARETH SOUTHGATE
” I think it is necessary to review the entire calendar. People of our generation would see something weird about the World Cup being played every two years, but I also think there are competitions, like The Hundred in cricket that are having a lot of success, so I have an open mind about some of those things. But usually you need to fix the schedule. We can’t keep adding more things. ”
-
JAVIER TEBAS (president of LaLiga)
“They no longer know what to invent to sink national leagues and UEFA competitions. Some with the Super League; others – FIFA – forcing clubs to give up players without being able to play with those who pay them … and now inventing cups of the the world every 2 years?
-
Didier Deschamps (coach of France, world champion)
“It gives me the impression that it would trivialize. I do not know all the interests. We are used to it being every four years and it is fine like that, but if the interests of the majority change, we can get there. I will no longer be involved, I will see it. on TV”.
.