FIFA 提案s to 拡大する World Cup 決勝戦 to 48 teams slammed by former England captain Terry Butcher: 'It's pants. I have never heard anything so ludicrous in my life'

• e-mail

46

見解（をとる）
comments

議論の的になる 計画（する）s to 拡大する the World Cup 決勝戦 to 48 teams were slammed as ‘ludicrous’ on Tuesday.?

FIFA 大統領，／社長 Gianni Infantino wants to beef up the tournament by 追加するing 16 teams to the 現在の 32-nation 判型 and the 提案 will be discussed this month at a 会合 of the FIFA 会議. If successful it would see almost a ４半期/4分の1 of FIFA’s 211 member nations taking part from the 2026 競争.

The 過激な 計画（する）s, 発表するd in Colombia this week by Infantino, would put 32 teams in a 予選 ノックアウト 一連の会議、交渉／完成する in the host country. The 16 勝利者s would then join 16 seeded teams in a group 行う／開催する／段階.

Former England 経営者／支配人 Graham Taylor said: ‘I’m not impressed with it. It doesn’t feel like a good idea to me. We want to 保存する the status of the 競争 as one for the best footballing nations.

‘A lot of times a 願望（する） to make money is behind these things. I don’t know if that is the 事例／患者 here, but it feels like the wrong idea.

‘The World Cup is, and should be, about the best nations qualifying and then 直面するing each other. For that 推論する／理由 the numbers should be kept to a 最小限.’

Terry Butcher, who played for England at three World Cups and was captain when they reached the 半分-決勝戦 in 1990, labelled the 計画（する）s as ‘ridiculous’.

‘It is pants,’ the former defender told Sky Sports. ‘I have never heard anything so ludicrous in my life. I know it is to try to get more teams 伴う／関わるd, as it was in the European 選手権, but I find this whole thing bizarre. You are tinkering with something you needn’t tinker with.

‘It is the World Cup for goodness sake, かもしれない the greatest 冒険的な event ever. One match 勝利者-takes-all, you are in or you are out.’

Germany boss Joachim Low also …に反対するs the 拡大, which would place a 重要な 需要・要求する on the host nation but would 証明する popular with smaller countries 目的（とする）ing for the biggest 行う／開催する／段階.?

Low said: ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to dilute the 冒険的な value. We must be （疑いを）晴らす that, in the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語, the 質 苦しむs. We must not overdo it.’

にもかかわらず the general 対立 to the 計画（する）s, Scotland assistant 経営者／支配人 示す McGhee said: ‘I would be in favour. The 判型 this time 一連の会議、交渉／完成する is pretty difficult and I think it was shown in the Euros with teams like アイスランド what a fantastic 出資／貢献 they can make. Even if they are not of the 質 of Spain and Germany they still made a 出資／貢献 and made the 競争 a success.’