EVERY Premier League football club has come together to oppose FIFA's plans with regards to the post-2024 International Match Calendar reform process. This was made known via a public statement released on the evening of Thursday, November 11, 2021.
International football body, FIFA, has been pushing for the World Cup tournament to be held every 2 years and for larger international windows, with these proposed plans now going down terribly with top-flight teams in Europe. Former Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, is a supporter of the idea of a biennial World Cup tournament.
Following the announcement of plans - in the aftermath of the release of a revised 2022-23 fixture calendar to accommodate the Qatar World Cup - the Premier League released a statement in which it was confirmed that all clubs were against the proposal. The statement read:
"All 20 Premier League clubs have discussed the post-2024 International Match Calendar reform process and are unanimously opposed to FIFA's proposal for biennial men's World Cups, along with any plans involving significantly extended international windows.
"Clubs raised concerns about the negative impacts FIFA's current proposals would have on player welfare, the fan experience, pre-season preparations and the quality of competitions."
Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, added: "The Premier League is committed to preventing any radical changes to the post-2024 FIFA International Match Calendar that would adversely affect player welfare and threaten the competitiveness, calendar, structures, and traditions of domestic football. 'We are open to reforms and new ideas, but they must enhance the complementary balance between domestic and international football in order to improve the game at all levels.
"This process should also involve meaningful agreements with the leagues that provide the foundations for the game.
"We will continue to work with supporter groups, players, domestic and international stakeholders to find solutions that are in the best interests of football's long-term future.
"The Premier League is hosting the World Leagues Forum's Annual General Meeting in London on December 2 and 3."
