It has been a turbulent few weeks for football from many perspectives. Now is the time when the footballing world must be united, we must ensure the safety of players, the sustainability of the clubs and be looking at how we can safely get fans back to stadiums. It is not a time for vanity projects.
FIFA has long tried to increase its grip on the game, and the talk of a revamped Club World Cup seems to be the next step.
With the impact Covid-19 is having, some may think that now is the prime time to push through their agenda and reap the rewards of instability.
The idea of an expanded Club World Cup seems to be another attempt by FIFA to dominate the decision-making and financial aspects of the global game at the expense of continental and national bodies. The Club World Cup does little for the game, but might be used as a tool to undermine other bodies, while draining already reduced resources away to try to create new commercial opportunities elsewhere.
Clearly, the coronavirus pandemic has hit football hard. Clubs, players and agents alike have all felt the financial pain. And then of course, there’s the fans. In the best case, fans are unable to go to watch their beloved teams play, in the worst, they are fearing for their club’s future existence.
To increase the uncertainty in this situation would be inappropriate, to say the least.
Another discussion on the restructuring of the game cannot be started at a time at which those who might be concerned are struggling with all sorts of emergencies.