FIFA’s Calendar Proposal To Change Football

FIFA has put together a proposal about a new international match calendar, with Arsene Wenger being in charge of breaking down the plan to members of the confederations.

The intention of football’s governing body is to restructure the currently congested calendar and scrap some of the international breaks to prevent footballers from suffering fatigue due to the numerous trips they have to make during the season for their national teams.

FIFA’s two calendar proposals

Marca has had access to FIFA’s document, one which offers the confederations two different options in their attempt to scrap the status quo plan which includes international breaks in September, October, November, March and June.

FIFA is hoping to persuade the confederations to reach a potential agreement on a new schedule and they are confident that they will manage to do so before next December.

The proposed calendars are adjusted to the schedules of each confederation, with the picture published above showing that of the Confederation of African Football, with the Africa Cup of Nations taking place in January.

FIFA’s proposed options are as follows:

Option A

The season would kick off in August and draw to a close in June and there would be just one international break that will last for four weeks in October.

Hence, the breaks of September, November and March will be scrapped and international competitions will take place in June, with July being the month of mandatory rest for players.

Option B

Seasons will kick off in August and end in May, but in the meantime, there would be a three-week international break in October and a two-week one in March. International tournaments would be held in June and July will be the month of rest for footballers.

Wenger’s compelling image in FIFA

“Opportunities for us to come together are few and far between but we must embrace these occasions as such dialogue helps us all to protect the unique place that football has in the world and to make it truly global,” Wenger said last Monday.

Acting as the head of global football development at FIFA, Wenger is participating in talks about player’ health, international breaks and the new plan for World Cups every two years.

Messi, Bryan Ruiz and Mane…

FIFA estimates that Lionel Messi travelled about 324,000 km between 2014 and 2018. In the same period, Costa Rica international Bryan Ruiz made as many as 377,000 km.

Meanwhile, if confederations agree with one of these proposals’ African players such as Sadio Mane would make 272,000 km, Japan international Makoto Hasebe would travel 314,000 km and a European player such as Harry Kane will barely have to make 40,000 km.