According to FIFA, a slight majority of football supporters support the idea of a “more frequent” World Cup. At least that is what emerges from an online survey published this Thursday by FIFA in the midst of a debate on its biennial World Cup project.
According to this IRIS / YouGov study carried out among 15,000 people “with an interest in football” – a very broad definition of supporterism – 55% of them want to see the queen competition of Fifa more often than every four years .
Among the respondents, details the survey, 30% would like the World Cup to be held every two years, 11% every year and 14% every three years, a very unusual rate in international sport.
The most favorable to this increased frequency are “the younger generations” and “the developing markets”, when long-time football lovers remain attached to the tradition.
This observation, which will have to be further confirmed by an “enlarged survey of 100,000 people” in around a hundred countries, confirms Fifa in the very controversial overhaul it has undertaken of the international calendar.
It contrasts, however, with the clear opposition expressed last week by dozens of national fan associations, from Argentina to Indonesia via Mali and all of Europe, in a joint statement.
Lack of real dialogue
“It is legitimate for Fifa to do market research, since it has something to sell. But if she wants to consult representative organizations, she knows where to find us ”, underlines to AFP Ronan Evain, coordinator of the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) network.
The director of development of Fifa, Arsène Wenger, advocates since March a World Cup every two years, to organize a major final phase each summer alternating with continental tournaments – such as the Euro or the Copa America.
On paper, the project promises to distribute more income to federations, a particularly attractive argument for African or Asian authorities, more dependent on this windfall than prosperous European football.
However, he faces hostility from UEFA, the South American Football Confederation, the World Leagues Forum and the powerful European Club Association, all of whom are already struggling with an overloaded schedule.
The FIFPro players’ union for its part denounced Tuesday “the absence of a real dialogue” on the subject, recalling among other things the “natural physiological limits” of footballers.
