ATHENS (Reuters) - The
International Olympic Committee wants to have more discussions over controversial plans by the world soccer body FIFA to hold the World Cup every two years instead of every four, it said.
FIFA’s proposals are set to be voted on in December by the 211 member associations of global soccer’s governing body, with President Gianni Infantino, also an IOC member, travelling the world to rally support for the plan, which has been fronted by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
But the plan has met with fierce criticism from a number of continental and national federations, players’ groups as well as fans.
European soccer body UEFA said there were numerous concerns about the impact of such a switch including the “dilution” of the World Cup’s value, risks of players being over-worked and women’s football suffering from annual men’s tournaments.