UEFA is "not happy about the way FIFA is pushing through plans to expand the 2026 World Cup," according to Graham Dunbar of the AP. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin "aimed a barb" at football's governing body. Ceferin, also a FIFA VP, said, "I read different ideas every day, so it is hard to say which one is the real one, if any." FIFA President Gianni Infantino was elected in February "on a campaign promise to add eight nations for a 40-team World Cup." He then "suggested 48 teams with an opening playoff round that would send 16 teams home after one game." Asked how many of the 48 entries Europe wanted, Ceferin said that the "lack of clarity in how FIFA proposed to allocate slots to its six confederations was one of the problems." Ceferin: "When FIFA presents us some serious thing and not just articles and interviews then we can, of course, answer concretely."
CL CHANGES: UEFA agreed to new Champions League kickoff slots at 7pm and 9pm Central European time. Currently, nearly all games start at 8:45pm CET, "except some games start earlier in Russia, Turkey, and other eastern European countries, especially in December and February." UEFA also "completed changes to the entry list, how clubs are ranked and seeded," plus distribution of prize money for the '18-21 seasons in the Champions League and Europa League (AP, 12/9).
LEFT IN THE DARK: REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported UEFA has been "left in the dark over the future format of the World Cup and was not certain it would vote for an expanded tournament." Ceferin said that UEFA had been "getting information from the media" because FIFA had not replied to its request for more details of the proposals. Asked if UEFA would back an expanded tournament, Ceferin said, "I am not sure we are getting that way. ... We asked in October for an appropriate analysis to show what it means to extend the World Cup and FIFA didn't produce it ... so without proper information, we can't say that we will be interested in that kind of World Cup." Ceferin "promised a transparent bidding process for choosing the hosts of the Champions League and Europa League finals, decisions which until now had been chosen behind closed doors" by UEFA's exec committee. He said, "There will be no more political favors concerning (the) decision of who will host the finals of Champions League and Europa League, there will be a clear bidding procedure from now on" (REUTERS, 12/9).
RUSSIAN PROSPECT: INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL's Andrew Warshaw reported last week's UEFA exec committee meeting "also threw up the prospect" of Russia Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who is "back under the spotlight over how much he knew about the country's doping scandal, controversially gaining a place on the new look FIFA Council." Mutko is president of both the Russian FA and the 2018 World Cup organizing committee and "has been a prominent member" of UEFA's exec committee. He is standing in April as one of Europe's slots on the FIFA Council (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 12/12).
