FIFA President: The World Cup could extend to 48 teams in 2022, ahead of schedule

MOSCOW – FIFA remains open to a 50% increase in the number of teams in the World Cup in 2022, four years earlier than expected, announced on Friday. president of the governing body of football. The organization will continue to discuss the issue with the host country, Qatar, and decide "quietly and quietly" to move the tournament to 48 teams out of 32, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino

. A few days before the final between France and Croatia, Infantino seemed bullish on the idea, saying: "The quality is certainly there … There is nothing more powerful than to participate in an event like the World Cup to boost football in a country. "

FIFA had already approved the expansion of the 2026 tournament, which will be shared by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The growth of the field in 2022 is problematic, however, because Qatar is such a small nation. Qatari organizers have expressed concern over the organization of a larger tournament. The country is building or renovating a number of stadiums. A 48-team World Cup would add 16 games to the schedule, to 80 from 64.

Supporters of a larger event point to the addition of teams that otherwise would not have been able to qualify in a smaller field. This year, for example, the Netherlands, Italy, Chile, Ghana, Cameroon, Ireland and the United States have not done so. The opponents see a competition watered down with many teams poorly adapted to the world stage.

Even with 48 teams, less than 25% of FIFA eligible countries would participate, said Infantino.

"It's still a reasonable number Infantino has not responded directly to a question about how he reconciles his close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the political and rights issues of the country. 39, man who weighs on the host country.

"Football can not solve all the problems of the world," said Infantino. "Football can not change the past. But football can have an impact in the future. Maybe some people who make important decisions for our planet could take advice or at least look at what we are trying to do in football and maybe take inspiration or at least try to solve those problems. We must expect to learn from what has happened without denying what has happened. "

FIFA worked closely with the Russian government and the local organizing committee to organize an event that received enthusiastic criticism.

" There are many injustices in the world, "said Infantino." There are many things we are not happy about in the world, not in a country, not in a region, not in a region, but in the whole world. We must try to work and talk and change for good whenever we can. But at the World Cup, we focus on football, we focus on the celebration of football.

"One of the things we miss in the world, more and more, is the ability to talk to each other, to have a dialogue, which is the basis for solving some of these problems. 39, there is no dialogue, no discussion or even no understanding or a little respect, we can not go anywhere.If football and the World Cup can help open channels, open discussions, to help those who make decisions for the world to start talking to each other and to realize that people are living in worse conditions, we have done something "

After further examination

Assistant video badistant, introduced for the first time in the World Cup, was "extremely clear and extremely positive," said Infantino. "It's okay, it works, it works." According to FIFA, 140 matches were controlled by VAR, 19 were officially reviewed and 16 decisions were changed from "bad decision to good decision" "

] VAR has improved the accuracy of the refereeing by 95% to 99.32%, said Infantino.However, VAR is used solely to review goals, shots on goal, penalties. red cards and fake identities

Infantino said that VAR helped keep players honest because the cameras see almost everything Red cards for violent behavior have significantly decreased, in large part, he said Because one still looks VAR has also put an end to disputes about offside on goals. "It's over," said Infantino.

"Today's It's hard to think of the World Cup without a VAR, "he said. side just. "

Security account

FIFA will consider whether further efforts are necessary to" protect the health of players "following numerous incidents in which players were injured in the head. to action, Infantino said.

"Concussions are a very serious matter that we take very seriously," he said. "That's why we have an evaluation and recommendations and expert advice." Can we do more? Of course. "

After a collision with the Belgian Eden Hazard in the semifinals, Frenchman Blaise Matuidi underwent a brief evaluation and was helped in the field. He returned a few moments later but did not last more than a minute and fell to the ground, needing help and replacement.

Following this, Matuidi was not diagnosed with a concussion that, according to FIFA guidelines, would have spread him for at least six days. In the group stage, the Moroccan Nordin Amrabat was hospitalized and suffered memory loss as a result of a clash against Iran, but he played five days later against Portugal

. "This is yet another alarming example of a player put in danger," said FifPro, the global syndicate of players, at the time. "Amrabat has returned to action too early by medical guidelines." Four years after the debacle of the last World Cup, where several players have not received proper care, football has not not sufficiently advanced in concussion management Repeated calls to implement world-clbad security standards have been ignored. "