Grindel, who first opposed the CWC expansion, seems to have changed his tune. https://www.dw.com/en/german-footba...f-dw-interview-after-25bn-question/a-47890316 About the Global NL:
https://apnews.com/8602ada7064c4a14b02a19c502220cdc Europe: 8 South America: 6 Africa: 3 Asia: 3 CONCACAF: 3 Oceania: 1 That is if UEFA can keep their allocation down to 8 slots (IMO fewer slots would even be better). UEFA has also been pushing for solidarity payments, benefitting (smaller) clubs around the world instead of all the money going to a few elite clubs. Infantino OTOH wanted to reward the big clubs handsomely and most likely the Saudi-backed consortium would want a piece as well. I hope a huge chunk will be reserved for the solidarity payments.
Honestly what motivation do players have to play in this stupid expanded tournament ? You've just played a long grueling season, you've just played champions league football, now another club competition for what purpose exactly ? Yeah finish all that and now play some joke competition that has absolutely no prestige. At least with International football its something different to motivate you, being pride in your nation and patriotism. I just dont see the motivation for another stupid club competition at the end of a long season. I think plenty of players will opt out. I just dont see this taken seriously. FIFA should stop trying to force this garbage down our throats and work on expanding the Confederations cup or Global Nations league. Instead they are doing the opposite. Fools.
looks like UEFA has no choice but to accept it, other confederations want this competition badly. it will provide them with what champions league provides UEFA, an (awful lot) of $€£ however, still unclear if it is going to be sold to foreign investors or not
4 uefa 4 conmebol 4 conca 4 asia 4 africa 2 oceani and 2 host "My continental champion team must be in", but OFC is a joke and the host need/deserve 2 spots of 24.
The media keeps calling this expanded 2021 CWC a "pilot" which leads me to believe that Infantino is selling this as a direct swap for the Confederations Cup without further changes to the (apparently agreed) international calendar until 2024. He may then push for a permanent expanded CWC and the NL when the next segment of the international calendar is up for approval. But if FIFA are introducing all these summer competitions they really have to take a firm stand against the biennial nation cups in CAF and C'CAF. Only a quadrennial edition (in even years) should get FIFA calendar protection.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/klub-wm-fifa-council-infantino-eca-fc-bayern-1.4368313 How much is Infantino's project worth without clubs from Europe? European clubs have told Infantino they will boycott the CWC. And FIFpro also called Infantino out, including his expansion madness, the bloated 48 team World Cup.
This is a complete fail. Do top players really want to give up vacation time to play in this tournament ? Think about it. At least with the CC you were playing for your nation, which is a bit different. Why would a top player want to spend off-season time in another club competition ? With the current format, at least for Europeans, it's just an inconvenient week in the middle of the season.
I think it's important to realise that these changes are about growing the game outside UEFA. I think that Global NL and CWC achieve that legitimately because they do not add to the fixture list, while the 48-team WC does not because it undermines the attractiveness of the competition, esp the groups of three.
exactly what I said. I see absolutely no reason, no motivation for top players to play this tournament. NONE. They should scrap this and leave the Confederation Cup alone. I for one never gave a damn about the CWC. Kind of a pointless tournament. We all know what the top 2 clubs are going to be, its far more cut and dry than international soccer.
I see the proposed CWC expansion critically myself, but we don't get a lot of inter-confederation club games per year. Eight as it stands, seven if the hosts meets their confederation peers. That of course doesn't mean that some bloated mess is the answer. We do? You don't seem to follow the CWC but let me tell you the Libertadores winner is far from a shoo-in for the final these days. The interesting storylines in the CWC are not about the winner. It's what's happening with the others and the "attack" on South American club football. That's one of my main issues with having 8-12 European clubs at the CWC. The other storylines are relegated to the group stage and generally the non-European clubs will be there in the role of the "Washington Generals" (to use a basketball analogy).
You mean, "you've just played champions league football, and then WCQ with your country, and then another club competition for what purpose exactly ?"
As expected the expansion was approved (despite opposition from Europe). Let's see if the ECA's boycott is an empty threat or not.
I imagine clubs will go, they just might not field their best players, or those players may treat it like friendlies. But we'll see, maybe it will be better than I expect.
Allocation of spots not yet set: https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who...ntroduction-of-a-revamped-fifa-club-world-cup
They also may not make it mandatory to go like the early days of the Confederations Cup when Italy and Germany were like nah, no thanks. Then they will just invite teams until someone says yes down the chain of winners/competitions.
It will ultimately become a matter of money and what kind of income FIFA can generate. I don't see a way to stop this now. That's a distinct possibility, but if the funds are as high as advertised (hopefully from transparent sources) almost nobody will turn down the invitation.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-s...-cup-euro-clubs-confirm-boycott-idUKKCN1QW2CE The boycott has been confirmed following the decision to expand the CWC. Infantino shouldn't be trusted. FIFA's lawyers don't even trust him, especially after reviewing a proposal that would turn FIFA into an empty shell, selling off all the rights, including the rights to the World Cup, and allowing the investors to dump anything that isn't lucrative without having to give up any other rights they hold. @Nico Limmat a recent reminder: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/klub-wm-fifa-council-infantino-eca-fc-bayern-1.4368313
Warning: Rant ahead! So basically FIFA wanted to make more money off of the club brands they don't own or control. Because greed is what greed does. FIFA's ruining of the game continues, because even if this succeeds it will only serve to benefit a few of the already wealthy clubs while by default reducing the economic potential of other clubs. Not that FIFA and the supporters of this measure will care. This is, after all, a day and age where the money from global plastic fans is more valuable than the locals that actually attend the games. F*** you, FIFA, and go rot in hell.
Clearly the (other, digital etc.) rights can't be sold off and the sources of funds have to be transparent. If these two conditions are met I see the ECA changing their tune if the money is right. And Saudi Arabia seem as eager as ever to rival Qatar and BeIn Sports. They may still pay quite an amount. FIFA rights or no rights.
There's still a lot of time to iron out details and negotiate between now and the summer of 2021. It makes them look kind of foolish to say they are boycotting in March 2019. I am just glad I can officially say RIP Current Club world Cup format and Confederations Cup.
FIFA's lawyers didn't view it that way and UEFA/ECA fear Infantino won't shy away from backroom deals. So far Infantino hasn't exactly delivered on his transparancy promises. Also, the Qatar2022 expansion will cause even more disruption, with the winter World Cup already messing up the calendar, and ahead of that mess FIFA want to add an expanded CWC. That's really pushing it. Besides there are alternatives to the expanded CWC and the Saudis. @GunnerJacket's rant is a concern of mine too, along with a few other ones.
On the Club World Cup: teams qualifying 3 years early will never stop being ridiculous, but it is what it is. And that first all-UEFA final will present a clean, definitive break from the old Intercontinental era (in the sense of the Final being a usual UEFA-CONMEBOL struggle for dominance - itself an archaic notion, to be fair). On the Confed Cup: I'd love to be mad, but realistically, more people probably agree with your take about the Confed Cup being surplus to requirements (IMO Russia 2017 was a great tournament that got unfairly panned). Now that it is no longer, FIFA owes the world a replacement opportunity for NTs outside of Europe and Conmebol to face high-level competition outside of World Cup finals, i.e. a Global Nations League can't come soon enough.