Sports
FIFA holds summit to discuss int’l calendar for men, women
World football governing body, FIFA is set to hold a summit with its member associations to discuss the international men’s and women’s calendar.
The summit is scheduled to hold online and would take place on 30 September.
The current match calendar for the women’s game runs to the end of 2023, while the men’s expires in 2024.
“There is a broad consensus within the game that the international match calendar should be reformed and improved,” said Fifa.
“This is one of several opportunities to establish a constructive and open debate, at a global and regional level, over the coming months and Fifa is looking forward to it.”
Read Also: ‘Biennial World Cup will dilute historical, traditional values of tournament’
Fifa’s chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, and former United States women’s team manager, Jill Ellis, were heading technical advisory groups looking at the men’s and women’s calendars.
Meanwhile, the possibility of hosting the World Cup every two years rather than four is also part of the agenda.
The plan has been welcomed by some opposition, with European governing body UEFA, South American confederation Conmebol and Europe’s major leagues not in support.
But the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had since declared their support for the biennial World Cup idea, as well as the Saudi Arabian football body, which brought the proposal at Fifa’s annual meeting in May.
And aaccording to a survey commissioned by Fifa, a majority of fans would support a men’s World Cup more frequently than every four years, although the most popular answer across all age groups was to maintain the status quo.
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