UEFA President Michel Platini wants eight more teams in the tournament, so as to accommodate more African and Asian countries without reducing the number of European sides. (Photograph: Reuters)
By Ben Rumsby
Michel Platini will push for the World Cup finals to be expanded from 32 to 40 teams and is confident Fifa will back what would be the most significant change to the tournament in two decades.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter last week called for more African and Asian representation at football’s biggest event, something that was widely regarded as a call for the number of European teams to be cut.
But Uefa counterpart Platini has turned the argument on its head by revealing he wants to add eight countries to the mix, two from Africa, two from Asia, two from North and Central America, one from Oceania and one from Europe.
Platini told The Times: “I totally agree with Mr Blatter that we need more African and Asian [countries]. But instead of taking away some European, we have to go to 40 teams.”
Read more.
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Related:
FIFA Member States by Continent Versus Allocations for the World Cup
Africa under-represented at World Cup – Blatter (BBC News)
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