KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Europe’s leading clubs have signalled a reluctant intention to compromise with FIFA over its plans for a revamped Club World Cup.

The European Club Association’s two-day general assembly in Geneva agreed that the intention of world federation president Gianni Infantino to launch his pet project in 2021 was too soon.

However, with the introduction of the next unified international calendar in 2024, everything can be on the table. That also includes – if not before – significant changes to the structure of the UEFA Champions League as the clubs seek to at least maintain their major revenue streams.

Infantino obtained the agreement of FIFA Council two weeks ahead to push ahead with a 24-team Club World Cup in the summer of 2021 to fill the hole in the schedule left by the ending of the Confederations Cup (impossible to maintain because of the winter hosting of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022).

Europe’s delegates to FIFA were out-voted from the rest of the world which signalled that the world federation is prepared to ride rough-shod over ECA objections, just as it did with the winter World Cup shift.

At a media briefing after the ECA meeting, chairman Andrea Agnelli left no doubt about his distaste for Infantino’s tactics, saying: “The way it’s handled is similar to how you organize a Christmas lottery. More details are needed before we even consider agreeing to such a project.”

“We are all interested in a reform of the Club World Cup but the ECA needs answer on a number of points.”

Agnelli shrugged off reports that major clubs such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid are not toally set against the FIFA project. He said: “We are an association of individual clubs who all have their legitimate own interests.”

Champions review

He also commented on the discussions under way with UEFA about a restructuring of the Champions League.

Agnelli said: “We are at the start of a process but we need some time to analyse the various proposals, perhaps 12 to 18 months.” He refused to talk about the detail, saying only: “”It is just about a vision of what we want in the future, nothing definitive.”

He denied speculation that the champions of even major leagues might not automatically qualify in future.

###############