FIFA International Match Calendar: Proposed Changes & General Discussion

Yeah, agreed. And I don't think there is any need to do something drastic regarding the clock. The clock doesn't need to stop every time the ball bounces out of play. But when there's a timeout because a player is lying injured on the field, its a bit ridiculous to keep the clock going and leave everyone guessing when the match will end.

Last week they stopped the clock during the Madrid derby when fans started throwing stuff on the field. So, I don't think its sacrilege to also stop the clock when there are other reasons for (shorter) stoppages. Like what is done in rugby. Because, I agree, it is a bit comical and embarrassing to have 10+ minutes of stoppage time for a half.

 

Yeah, the Italian super cup has been a joke for a while. I remember they used to play it in New York 20ish years ago. But at least that was during the summer so in practice the cup just replaced one of those cash-grab preseason friendlies. Now its 2 matches and its additional to preseason friendlies and everything else.

This is what we call low-hanging fruit if/when anyone ever decides to do something about fixture congestion.

 

@BocaFan , that tournament targeted the Middle East market right after world financial crisis (Sep 2008):
21 editions up to 2008: 2@USA, 1@LBY, 18@ITA
16 editions since 2009: 4@CHN, 2@QAT, 5@KSA, 5@ITA (2 forcibly held in ITA for pandemic)

ITA clubs remain heavily indebted, so the Italian League administration has found a lifeline to balance books of the most indebted clubs.

Other pluses: foreign income is taxed at a smaller rate than domestic Italian income, lower league expenses when other country hosts it.

Flying to the warm Middle East in January beats traveling to the scorching US Eastern seaboard in August, by 5 time zones.

That is why the UEFA club calendar is congested: clubs are still plugging holes in their bank accounts with made-up tourneys.

 

I believe that there's little chance of a ruling in time to affect the CWC.

 

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to cancel the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup because he says that neither the leagues nor the FIFPRO Players' Union want it.

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/sto...f-tebas-tells-fifa-cancel-2025-club-world-cup

"FIFA president, you know that you have not sold the audiovisual rights for the budget you said for that Club World Cup," Tebas said, while speaking at the Forum of the European Union of Clubs in Brussels. "You know that you do not have the sponsorships for that Club World Cup as you had budgeted.

"You know that the leagues and the players' football unions we don't want that Club World Cup. Withdraw that Club World Cup now."

 

Seems like really no one wants that competition besides Shitfantino.

 

I liked the annual format that required just two games out of only one European club, the previous season’s Champions League winner.

 

Anything beyond the 6- or 7-team club World Cup is just redundant with the regional Cups/CLs that determine the best team for each region.

 

And the non-UEFA clubs who want their $50 million. Auckland City are set to make more revenue than the most of Oceania probably makes in a 4 year cycle.

 

Didn't those revenue projections get revised in the downward direction? Like significantly so?

Apparently a summer friendly tournament involving clubs isn't going to generate TV revenue and other revenues like the World Cup involving teams representing entire countries does. Who knew?

 

FIFA hasn't released any financial projections yet.

 

Maybe not official projections, per se, but they set a target ($2 billion).

 

Yes.

We should find out more on 11 December when the Extraordinary FIFA Congress will be presented with a revised 2023-26 budget which will be published afterwards.

 

I still maintain that if you capped all domestic premier leagues at 18 clubs playing 34 games each during the regular season (round-robin, home-and-away format), you would save 16 games per 4-year cycle; more than enough to accommodate a 7-game maximum Club WC.

 

They want to cancel Leagues Cup?

Why? It's great!

 

How are you going to achieve that?

 

Its 2 separate/unrelated things. I mean, you said it in your post: "18 clubs". The other competition is 0 to 2 clubs (per league). Asking 18 clubs to sacrifice revenue they would get from 4 additional games so that at most the 2 richest/best clubs in their league can benefit financially seems a bit "out there".
Asking fans of 18 clubs to sacrifice four games in which they can watch their team so that FIFA execs can line their pockets seems rather absurd, but maybe that's just me.

Add to all of that the fact that domestic leagues haven't expanded their competitions much, if at all, in the past 50+ years. Now we are asking them to reduce?

Plus domestic comps are every year, this is every 4. So, league sizes go back up to 20 teams for 3 years and reduced to 18 in 2029, 2033 etc.? WTF?

 

Negotiation, not imposition.

 

Domestic leagues should be 18 clubs because 34 league games fit the standard 9 month season - by which I mean league games only on weekends and midweeks reserved for cup games - without having to squeeze in 4 additional midweek league games which is effectively a 10 month season.