Manchester United have joined forces with a number of other big clubs across Europe, as they look to oppose FIFA’s plans to restructure the Club World Cup .
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has laid out his proposals for alterations to the current tournament, to begin from 2021.
The current format sees just seven teams compete for the prize in December of each year – which Infantino want to expand to 24 teams and move to the summer.
Infantino is hopeful his strategy would make the Club World Cup more popular, given it’s relative insignificance in the current climate.
But the MEN report that chiefs from the likes of United, Barcelona , PSG and Real Madrid have all signed a letter disapproving of the changes.
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United famously turned down the chance to defend the FA Cup in the 1999-00 season, relinquishing their place in the competition to compete in the Club World Cup.
But the clubs executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward , is thought to have signed the document on the club’s behalf, which also includes signatures from representatives of Celtic and Ajax.
In a letter penned to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, the European Club Association’s board, which represents 232 of the leading teams in the continent, it was made clear that the ECA “is unwilling to consider any new or significantly revised competition prior to a holistic assessment” of the international match calendar, which is currently mapped out until 2024.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
UEFA president Ceferin supports the stance from the ECA but the letter provides a strong stance from Europe’s elite that they will not participate in a tournament that would line FIFA’s pockets.
FIFPro, the union of professional football players, are also against the changes, while the ECA and UEFA also want FIFA to scrap proposals of a tournament that would mimic UEFA’s Nations League.
Another controversial plan from FIFA is to expand the 2022 World Cup from 32 teams to 48, although the full format for that proposal is not clear.
