There’s been an intense debate sweeping the planet about Fifa’s proposal to have football’s most prestigious tournament, the World Cup, played every two years.
I first dismissed it as a figment of the imagination of Fifa’s suits, who never seem to get enough in their coffers for organising these events.
Even when I heard that former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger was the one championing this idea as Fifa’s head of global development, I wasn’t convinced it could fly. I nevertheless tried to sit and listen, because Wenger is the only coach who has ever brought me joy as a distant Gunners supporter. So I tend to listen when he speaks football.
While most European football executives, including Uefa president Aleksander Čeferin, have vehemently opposed the proposal — even suggesting European countries could boycott the tournament if it was approved — it was interesting to follow Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s recent comments on the issue.
While not fully agreeing with Wenger, Guardiola pleaded for people to sit down and have a fair debate, and I kind of like that line.
“I’m always glad when new ideas are put on the table to discuss,” the City manager said. “You don’t have to criminalise the ideas. The clubs and the leagues defend their position, and Fifa and Uefa defend theirs.
“The World Cup is amazing. It is the biggest tournament and, as a spectator, I always enjoy watching it. If I could watch it every two years, that would be good. From what I have seen, Arsene has proposed a tournament of the highest quality.”
Wenger adds that playing a World Cup every two years would generate more money, which could be invested globally, but you’ve got ask what has Fifa done since 1930 to improve facilities in our continent?
One of the main concerns that I have about Wenger’s proposal is the extra burden it would put on the players, which is also Guardiola’s big question mark. “It’s too much,” said Guardiola of the amount of football played, especially in Europe.
“I’m not saying you have to eliminate national teams, or the Champions League, or the Premier League, or all the cups, but we have to find a solution.”
What I have noticed about this debate is that the big players in Europe and Fifa have not seriously factored in in Africa’s situation and how it has worsened since the coronavirus pandemic.
While travelling between European countries is never an issue, as most countries have a sound transport infrastructure, on our continent that’s a different story and it seems far from ideal.
The other big issue on the African continent is the football facilities, which in some countries cannot even be approved by their own Confederation of African Football (Caf).
That’s part of the concern that Pitso Mosimane, the Al Ahly coach, raised recently when he pleaded for Uefa to help African countries improve and develop their facilities. The situation is so bad that some countries are currently playing their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in SA, simply because their facilities are not approved by Caf.
Our neighbours Malawi and Namibia can’t use the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe and Sam Nujoma and Independence Stadium in Windhoek respectively, because they’re in such a bad state that they don’t meet Caf requirements.
Ivory Coast are also playing their coming World Cup qualifier in neighbouring Benin because they have similar issues.
But despite all of this, Caf executives were among the first to back Fifa’s proposal. None of them, including Safa’s Danny Jordaan, have raised the issue of improving the facilities and travel between countries as something that Africa must address before approving the Fifa’s plan.
Caf, despite knowing these travel deficiencies, are always making things worse with the scheduling of their international and cup competitions. For instance, next week there will be World Cup qualifiers played on the continent and immediately after that Caf has scheduled Champions League and Confederation Cup first round matches.
Knowing how cumbersome travelling can be on the continent, Caf should be doing more to relieve players and clubs of these challenges. A week or two between these matches should be standard, so that every player and club is allowed to come back and adjust before travelling to another match.
I wonder whether the likes of Wenger have had time to look at these issues? Especially if they take the word of Jordaan and other Caf executives who have approved the Fifa plan without looking at the logistics of organising matches in Africa.
Caf, for instance, have not told us how they’re going to schedule the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, after the 2021 event was derailed by Covid-19. This is what Caf, led by SA’s Patrice Motsepe, should be concerned with right now.
Wenger insists the current Fifa calendar is outdated and decries the fact that, since the tournament was established in 1930, over 130 countries have never made an appearance. He believes playing it every two years may eventually improve their chances of participating.
Wenger adds that playing a World Cup every two years would generate more money, which could be invested globally, but you’ve got ask what has Fifa done since 1930 to improve facilities in our continent?
It is hoped that Wenger’s consultation will be done by the end of the year and any final decision will have to be made by a Fifa congress, which usually takes place in May.
I hope by the time this Fifa congress sits, Wenger and his team will have seriously looked at Africa’s problems at grass roots level and not rely on the word of the Caf suits, whose only interest may be what they stand to gain personally if this plan is approved.
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