World Cup Expanded to 48 teams

[Gunner Rob]

International football RIP

[Clash]

Ridiculous!

But I bet Scotland still don't qualify.

[BFG4]

I know football is big business, but there has to be a breaking point, to stop FIFA and UEFA from ruining their main competitions. Look at the CL, and its obvious that most of the 32 teams are filler, there to give the illusion of a competitive competition. The WC will end up the same, with the group stage being a complete write off.

[augie]

There is a very real possibility that fifa have pushed things too far this time - assume there is no legal argument that could stop a breakaway organization, and if not what will happen then ? You ask the players if they would sign up for extended international tournaments, or to a opposition body that pays the mega wages these players yearn At the mo because club and international football are under the fifa umbrella clubs must release players for international football when called up - a new club motivated body would put a stop to that, and fifa would surely lose all the superstars on mega wages who are responsible for all the advertising and corporate sponsorship funds

Personally I'm not as anti international football as most seem to be, but the greed here is the straw that broke the camels back, and I hope the clubs tear fifa apart and send infintano to join blatter in that corrupt football graveyard

[DB10GOONER]

Absolutely ludicrous. As if the WC is not boring and over-inflated enough...

[IW8Goalmachine]

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/ ... -expansion

Hopefully other leagues with follow

[augie]

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/ ... -expansion

Hopefully other leagues with follow

Their statements seem very watery to me - for something as important as this, they need to come up with big bold statements saying that they (and the rest of the main European leagues) will not accept this decision, and if fifa refuse to consider the welfare of club football, then they will have to consider their future in fifa

We all know how greedy and money motivated the clubs are these days (we know it all too well ), but at least they are paying the players wages and can rightly claim some bit of rights to the players - fifa pay nothing to players wages but still expect to sit back and have their palms greased without paying anybody (except themselves of course) or doing anything

[Bradywasking]

Might as well put all nations in one massive tournament and play for money not trophies and medals.

[Perryashburtongroves]

International football is utter bollox. Just make continental leagues. Europe could be split into three tiers with promotion or relegation, same with Asia and Africa, Central America and S.America one or two leagues and the Pacific one league. Matches played home and away over a two-year cycle with the top two or four in each top league, depending on the strength of the conferation going on to a finals tournament held wherever. Teams that are shit get relegated and ones that do well get rewarded through promotion. Fair system and less utterly shit qualifiers as all matches matter.

[Gunner Rob]

the only way I would be in favour of this decision is if they reduced the number of matches for the qualifying tournament.

but they wont....so I am 100% against.

to be honest after it is held in Qatar I will probably be totally disinterested in the World Cup anyway

[gp543]

The only reason FIFA want to expand the World Cup is to ensure China and India qualify so they can gain financially from those markets.

[Jumpers For Goalposts]

FIFA =

Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Huge FBI and Swiss police investigation
Countless top officials in jail or on bail for taking bungs

but still these buffoons are running World football. What a joke

[Red Snapper]

the only way I would be in favour of this decision is if they reduced the number of matches for the qualifying tournament.

but they wont....so I am 100% against.

to be honest after it is held in Qatar I will probably be totally disinterested in the World Cup anyway

I'll have no interest in it before it's held in Qatar.

[GoonerMuzz]

Money, money, money, in a FIFA world

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

fucking complete joke. The group stage games already only had typically 1 good game in them, now you'll be lucky if there's a decent game in the group stage.