Sergio Busquets against biennial FIFA World Cup; says 'players will explode'

FIFA has been contemplating the concept of holding the World Cup every two years, based on reports, UEFA and Europe's leading clubs are set to oppose it. Now, Spain and Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets has also expressed concerns claiming that it will lead to fixture congestion.

Speaking at a press conference while on international duty, the midfielder said that the players had little say in any of the decisions and that they just see that the calendar has become busier and that the associations do not care about the players. He also said that with the way every competition is growing with the addition of more matches there will be a moment where players would "explode" owing to games becoming more demanding and the players have lesser time to rest. He lastly added that all the parties should be heard and be a part of the decision regarding the hosting of the biennial World Cup.

"On the World Cup every two years, (the players) have little say on that (decision). We just see the calendar has become busier and busier, and they do not care about the players. They want more Euros, more World Cups, more club World Cups, more league games, more games for every competition. There will be a moment when the players will explode because the games are becoming more and more demanding and we have less time to rest. So it is so difficult to handle as we have seen recently with this pandemic, where some different competitions have clashed. All of this will bring some consequences, so it would be necessary to have a meeting and listen to all the parties."

UEFA against biennial World Cup

Arsene Wenger, who is FIFA's current Chief of Global Football Development, strongly advocated the idea of holding a biennial World Cup as a part of FIFA's review of the international match calendar. This week, he reiterated his support for the change. Based on a report in Goal.com, UEFA has written a letter opposing the move.

 Responding to a letter to a fans group Football Supporters Europe, UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin said that UEFA and its national associations also have serious reservations and "grave concerns" surrounding reports of FIFA’s plan. The letter then reads that the proposal was not presented to any of the confederations, national associations, leagues, clubs, players, coaches, clubs, and all the football community. It further gives an example that it is imperative to highlight the concerns shared across the footballing world regarding the impact a biennial FIFA World Cup would have on the international match calendar and, prominently in this context, on women’s football.

(Image Credits: AP)