(ATR) Big changes may be on the horizon for FIFA in the coming year.
The largest international sport federation is debating changes to its flagship event, may have more power within the IOC decision making framework, and may be lumped into the Russian question.
At the helm for FIFA is Gianni Infantino the former Secretary General for the Union of European Football Associations. Infantino ran on a platform of reform for FIFA in rhe aftermath of the scandle-strewn administration of predecessorSepp Blatter,
Infantino’s first major reform could be the expansion of the FIFA World Cup Finals. Currently the tournament has 32 teams, but Infantino has confirmed the body is looking at 40 or 48 teams in the future. More teams would mean more revenue for the tournament, but a potential for the dilution of talent. An expanded tournament could be seen as a way to get China and India, two of the largest countries in the world and untapped football markets, an easier chance to qualify for the World Cup.
The IOC may extend membership to Infantino, continuing a trend that includes FIFA's most recent previous presidents Joao Havelange and Blatter.
Infantino and FIFA will have to walk a fine line as fallout continues over the second part of the McLaren Report. The 2018 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Russia and it remains to be seen if the fallout affects the tournament. Anti-doping tests for the 2014 World Cup were conducted in Lausanne due to the suspension of the Rio de Janeiro laboratory. The Moscow lab, as is the rest of the Russian anti-doping system, is in a state of suspension while a range of issues need solving.
The 2017 Confederations Cup, the customary one year warm-up to the World Cup may inspire Russia to pick up the pace of anti-doping reforms.
In addition to assuring the public the 2018 tournament will be clean, the preparations for the controversial 2022 edition in Qatar will continue to be pushed into the spotlight. FIFA pushed back the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup, but Infantino must begin the work to solicit multiple strong bids to regain trust in the bidding process.
2016 ranking: #1
Homepage photo: Getty Images
Written by Aaron Bauer
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Recent Articles
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
