Conmebol asks Fifa to stage the World Cup every two years
Jonathan Wilson in Buenos Aires
Fri 23 Nov 2018 16.14 EST Last modified on Fri 23 Nov 2018 16.50 EST
Conmebol is lobbying Fifa to stage the World Cup every two years rather than every four, president Alejandro Domnguez confirmed on Friday.
Having seen the success of the Uefa Nations League, he would also be open to the possibility of expanding that to include South American teams.
"The proposal we have made to Fifa is to play the World Cup every two years and not every four," Domnguez said. "Instead of having the Nations League in between we can just go ahead every two years and have a World Cup and that is for everyone.
"It's for the players because they could play four World Cups if we move to a two-year cycle. If we stay with this format many players will not be able to play more than two.
"There are many solutions. We could hold the tournament in Europe, South America, North America, Africa and Asia without such a long wait. So we see an opportunity there and there is a proposal put forward to Fifa."
Money, needless to say, is a motivating factor. "In terms of economics Fifa make money and give more money," Domnguez said.
What that means for the existing continental tournaments is unclear. Domnguez insists he gets on well with both the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, and the Uefa president, Aleksandar Ceferin, holding a global tournament in a slot currently reserved for the European Championship would clearly be to the benefit of Fifa.
The Nations League is an appealing prospect and could serve as a compromise solution rather than abandoning the present structure altogether.
Domnguez's position at present is essentially that he is open to dialogue and keen to prevent Europe moving even further ahead of South America, economically and technically, than it already is. "I always say we have to work together and never say no, I always say why not," he said.
Jonathan Wilson in Buenos Aires
Fri 23 Nov 2018 16.14 EST Last modified on Fri 23 Nov 2018 16.50 EST
Conmebol is lobbying Fifa to stage the World Cup every two years rather than every four, president Alejandro Domnguez confirmed on Friday.
Having seen the success of the Uefa Nations League, he would also be open to the possibility of expanding that to include South American teams.
"The proposal we have made to Fifa is to play the World Cup every two years and not every four," Domnguez said. "Instead of having the Nations League in between we can just go ahead every two years and have a World Cup and that is for everyone.
"It's for the players because they could play four World Cups if we move to a two-year cycle. If we stay with this format many players will not be able to play more than two.
"There are many solutions. We could hold the tournament in Europe, South America, North America, Africa and Asia without such a long wait. So we see an opportunity there and there is a proposal put forward to Fifa."
Money, needless to say, is a motivating factor. "In terms of economics Fifa make money and give more money," Domnguez said.
What that means for the existing continental tournaments is unclear. Domnguez insists he gets on well with both the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, and the Uefa president, Aleksandar Ceferin, holding a global tournament in a slot currently reserved for the European Championship would clearly be to the benefit of Fifa.
The Nations League is an appealing prospect and could serve as a compromise solution rather than abandoning the present structure altogether.
Domnguez's position at present is essentially that he is open to dialogue and keen to prevent Europe moving even further ahead of South America, economically and technically, than it already is. "I always say we have to work together and never say no, I always say why not," he said.
