LONDON—In a small ground-floor office suite in London’s affluent Mayfair district, FIFA’s control over world football was eroded with a handshake and low-key unveiling.
The deeper alliance between the two most powerful football confederations from Europe and South America—by opening a joint office—comes just as FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been left chastened by the collapse of his pursuit of biennial World Cups.
The debut of the Finalissima—a clash of the European and South Americans champions—will see Italy and Argentina meet at Wembley Stadium in north London in June. The journey has already included UEFA and CONEMBOL both threatening boycotts of the World Cup if FIFA pushed ahead with an attempt to double the frequency of the tournament.
“FIFA came to the concuslion that it is feasible, that it would have some repercsions and impacts,” he added. “But once this is certified, the next phase starts and it’s a phase of consultation, it’s the phase of discussion, it’s the phase of trying to find agreements and compromises.” Such a plan could grate other confederations, such as the body covering the North and Central America and Caribbean region.
Montagliani added that the fierce debates over biennial World Cups created a “disruptive situation” and a kind of divisiveness that can harm the sport.
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