By Agency Report

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is continuing to bang the drum for a biennial World Cup, this time promoting the idea at a news conference in Buenos Aires where, he claimed, the proposal would help spread funds more fairly and away from handful of super clubs.

Infantino explained that FIFA’s plan would envisage a global showpiece every year, alternating between men’s and women’s competitions.

The World Cup is FIFA’s main source of revenue and although Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s head of global development who is driving the biennial proposal insists it is not all about money, Infantino made it clear that financial considerations are a big part of the equation.

“Today there are many football competitions that earn much more money than the World Cup and this money that is earned is distributed amongst a very small number of clubs,” Infantino told a press conference at the Argentine Football Association’s (AFA) headquarters.

The biennial World Cup project has come in for heavy criticism not least from UEFA and Conmebol. But Infantino is determined to plough ahead with the idea and says a final decision will be made “before December.”

“No-one is happy with the current situation and something has to change,” added Infantino, conveniently ignoring the fact that the opposite is in fact the case: most influential footballing bodies, pundits and leading figures unaffiliated with Fifa support retaining the status quo and are against a World Cup every two years.

Infantino not only wants more World Cup tournaments, but more joint hosts too.

“If you talk about a World Cup every year, men and women, with five neighbouring countries organizing it, in 20 years the World Cup could be organised by almost 100 countries giving their football a great boost.

“Right now, the World Cup doesn’t come back to a continent for 24 years and that’s more than a generation.”

So far, the only World Cup to have been hosted by more than one country was when Japan and South Korea teamed up in 2002, although Canada, Mexico and the United States will jointly stage 2026.

Infantino also addressed the World Cup qualifier last month between Brazil and Argentina in São Paulo that had to be called off after Brazilian health officials invaded the pitch to stop the game claiming four Argentine players had breached quarantine rules.

“For a match to be interrupted in this way is something that cannot happen. It’s not acceptable,” said Infantino.

“It is always good to decide matches on the pitch and not off the pitch. It isn’t always possible, we have rules. Let’s see what FIFA’s disciplinary bodies decide.”