Gianni Infantino: FIFA president open to 'fewer matches, smaller squads'
Infantino also launches FIFA campaign at halting spread of coronavirus
Monday 23 March 2020 18:53, UK
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he wants football to consider reforms, including reducing squad sizes and playing fewer matches.
Leagues around the world - including the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga - have been suspended because of coronavirus, while UEFA have already postponed the European Championships for a year.
Asked how football could recover from the delay, Infantino told Gazzetta dello Sport: "Maybe we can reform world football by taking a step back.
"There needs to be an evaluation of the global impact. Let's all together save soccer from a crisis that risks becoming irreversible.
"Maybe fewer squads, but more balance. Fewer, but more competitive matches to safeguard the health of the players. It's not science fiction; let's discuss it."
Despite now advocating the idea of playing fewer matches, Infantino has given his backing to moves that have further cluttered the football calendar in recent times.
Under his watch, the World Cup has been expanded from 32 to 48 nations from 2026, while a new 24-team Club World Cup was due to begin in 2021.
On Monday, Infantino also spoke at the World Health Organisation (WHO) where he launched FIFA's new campaign to stop the spread of coronavirus.
A video on how to do so, featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Carli Lloyd and Gary Lineker, has been released. It comes a week after FIFA donated more than £8m to the WHO's fight against the virus.
In his speech at the WHO, Infantino said: "What I think this virus has shown to all of us is two things. One is how vulnerable we are, and the other is how global the world has become.
"Exceptional situations require exceptional measures, and global problems require global solutions.
"We have to make sure that we recover from this by bringing the entire world together as one, and remind everyone that we are all one kind; the human kind.
"We have to prove that we are capable of global acts of solidarity, because health comes first. Everything else comes after.
"So now, we have to be strong, we have to follow the guidance of the WHO and our governments. After, we will have to rebuild our relations, hopefully with more solidarity and understanding for each other. Football is ready to play its part in that."
