World soccer’s governing body FIFA believes a general consensus has been reached with European governing body UEFA, leagues and clubs on a deal to cut the number of international fixtures.
Last week, European football clubs announced a deal with UEFA to trim the schedule amid claims of overload for players, although FIFA, which has the final say, appeared to question their stance.
However, in a statement from its Zurich headquarters on Monday, FIFA indicated “major” progress had been made following a meeting opened by FIFA President Sepp Blatter and conducted by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke of confederations, clubs, leagues and players.
The participants “unanimously stated that much progress has been made on reaching a consensus.”
Essentially, the agreement in principle validates proposals backed by the European Club Association (ECA), grouping 201 teams from all 53 UEFA member nations, to cut the annual number of international matches from the current 12 to nine.
The ECA agreed that scenario with UEFA after an ECA general assembly in Warsaw last week and termed the move – scrapping August friendlies and introducing rules allowing player release for international duty for no more than one senior tournament per year – “a major breakthrough for European club football.”
UEFA and ECA have agreed that players should not play more than one international tournament per year – though FIFA has not gone down that route, saying instead that “a player may play more than one international tournament per year”.
In addition, players from African and North and Central American countries who have played their regional tournaments – the Cup of Nations and the Gold Cup respectively – in a Confederations Cup year would also be allowed to play the latter event if their nation has qualified.
FIFA also acknowledge that the Olympics and youth tournaments “are not included in the international match calendar”.
A further pillar of the ECA-UEFA proposals would see international championships end by mid-July and the Africa Cup of Nations start in early January to avoid the current schedule which extends into February and leaves European clubs, who have no winter break, shorn of their African stars for over a month.