News: Club World Cup to Expand; Confederations Cup to End

Ah ok; thanks for that. I actually liked that tournament - I think it showed Brazilian football in quite a good light. Vasco destroying Man Utd and Corinthians participating in that exciting game with Real Madrid was good to see.

So that year, how was the IC Cup viewed in comparison to this tournament? Especially since Palmeiras lost to Man Utd but Vasco managed to beat them quite comfortably.

On the whole 'taking the match seriously' issue; if European teams didn't take it seriously and got their arses handed to them, oh well. If you don't win, you can't really say anything.

Apparently Liverpool didn't take their game with Flamengo seriously when Zico tore them apart - well, they got battered.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...l-bein-sports-watch-all-matches-a8358296.html

The feud between Qatar and Saudi Arabia doesn't appear to be thawing and FIFA are being overly accommodating towards Saudi Arabia. You'd expect FIFA to be less ambivalent about piracy, state-sponsored piracy even, or better yet take a firm stand against it but in fact it's quite the opposite. Push the World Cup expansion forward to 2022, that's child's play, and what's worse I'm confident Infantino is prepared to go to any lengths, including the sale of the World Cup. Still didn't FIFA throw their weight behind Qatar 2022? A bit odd to serve two masters seeing FIFA will have to work with the Qataris (although it's fair to say Infantino only serves the one master, money). FIFA's stance that politics and sport don't mix is made a mockery when they themselves start meddling in the affairs of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

State-backed clubs, like PSG and Man City, have been denounced, by Barca for example after Neymar left. Yet now the same club that denounces such practices is in favour of a state-backed CWC (and Nations League)? Saudi Arabia ban Barcelona shirts. What a club. No more than a bunch of hypocrites.

@Nico Limmat what are your thoughts? Saudi Arabia, flexing their financial muscle, looking for tools of soft power?

 

To be fair (to FIFA in general, rather than the vile Infantino) - it did seem that it was more UEFA, or more correctly, Platini and some of the other Confederations who really got behind Qatar (Blatter was probably as annoyed as anyone when that name came out of the hat).

At least that's my recollection.

J

 

@Nico Limmat with regards to your last two posts, have a look at the tweet from BBC's Richard Conway below.

According to the German article (link in tweet) Infantino got cold feet because he had to put his position as FIFA president on the line. As only RM, Barca and City were interested Infantino had sent word through Boban that his expansion plans have been shelved. Both UEFA and Bayern have confirmed that this is the case. A vote of confidence was too risky for Infantino because he lacks support from the people that decide his fate.

Infantino’s $25bn plan for a Nations League and a revamped Club World Cup appear to be dead for now.
His presidency is undoubtedly damaged - 12 months away from seeking re-election it will be interesting to see if and how he can recover given the financial promises he has made. https://t.co/qEpwBHfRKZ

— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) May 19, 2018

PS Infantino is in Qatar now. Patching things up? Pitching the expanded 2022 WC again?

 

The scale of opposition towards FIFA’s hasty rush to get $12bn Club World Cup and $13bn Nations League through is such that some confeds we’re considering no showing a proposed emergency meeting. Now the meeting almost certainly won’t happen.

— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) May 18, 2018

http://global.espn.com/football/blo...over-club-world-cup-and-global-nations-league

 

Hooray!

 

Yep - I saw him at the Emir Cup final lol...

 

According to the article the BBC's Richard Conway linked to, the only ones that are in Infantino's corner in a vote of confidence would come from Conmebol and OFC. Infantino has been getting in bed with crooked allies, e.g. OFC president D.Chung, while Conmebol has been a playground for the corrupt and at the center of still-unfolding investigations. Wouldn't be a surprise if UEFA are looking for support in other confeds to oppose Infantino.

 

This has taken an inevitable turn.

As I mentioned early in this thread, the expanded CWC proposal is in direct competition with the UEFA champions league (at least for the years that its held). No-way UEFA was going to be okay with it (the money offered isn't that good).

 

How many federations would support the Club World Cup? Surely less than a dozen.

How many federations would support the FIFA Nations League? Probably most except the Europeans.

 

Maybe I misunderstood the format of the global NL, but how does 'literally every NT' out there have a decent shot at winning an int'l trophy?

 

A compromise could be to have Europeans only play the FIFA Nations League finals.

So for exampe the top 4 teams in the UNL Division 1 would qualify to the FNL Division 1 finals, the next 4 teams would qualify to the FNL Division 2 finals, the top 4 teams in the UNL Division 2 teams would qualify to the FNL Division 3 finals, the next 4 teams would qualify to the FNL Division 4 finals, etc.

 

I'd like to keep the current format and have South Africa host.