FIFA announced in October 2019 that the first edition of the revamped 24-team Club World Cup will take place in 2021. The announcement of the expanded tournament received some push back from major clubs who are reluctant to participate in the tournament. This fact puts the success of the tournament at risk, which depends on clubs and their willingness to compete in the worldwide tournament. FIFA is under pressure to rebrand the tournament and make it a favorite among fans as well as to address the issues raised by clubs as an integral part of restructuring the competition.

The main issue on the table for the recently formed World Football Clubs Association (WFCA) is the FIFA Club World Cup which will require substantial coordination between the world governing body and the clubs in order to improve the scheduled world cup contest.

The New World Club Cup format

China will host the first-ever edition of what FIFA boss Gianni Infantino calls a real showcase of the world’s best teams.  The move to expand the tournament from 7 teams to 24 teams is set to be a spectacle for fans who will get to see the best teams around the globe. Eight teams will come from Europe, six from South America, 3 from Africa, Asia and North America as well as one for Oceania. The tournament is likely to close the gap on some of the inequalities that hinder the development of the game in some parts of the world. European teams have won 11 out of the past 12 Club World Cups, and South American sides reached the final eight times in the past 12 years. The move by FIFA is a step forward for the global game by offering smaller leagues an opportunity to compete against the best in the world.

“The new FIFA World Cup for clubs will be a competition which every person who loves football looks forward to. It is the first real and true world cup for the best teams and clubs in the world.”- Gianni Infantino, FIFA President

Along with dealing with the backlash from clubs, the announcement caused a storm of criticism for FIFA’s decision on choosing China amidst human rights accusations over the protests in Hong Kong and the ongoing crisis of Uighur Muslims in China after FIFA had originally set the host as Qatar. However, the deaths of migrant workers during the construction of stadiums received strong criticism from human rights organizations over the treatment of migrants in Qatar. FIFA has been accused of not paying enough attention to human rights violations, which are among the problems that Infantino is faced with in launching the revamped cup.

ECA stands by its European Agenda

The European clubs have disagreements with FIFA over the expansion of the Club World Cup and with none more so than Juventus and European Club Association president, Andrea Agnelli. The ECA represents 232 of the continent’s leading sides and is in charge of the UEFA Champions League. Unsurprisingly one of the fiercest critics of this move has been the Italian billionaire highlighting that the FIFA corruption scandals culminating in 2015 arrests are a reason for FIFA to focus mainly on its role as a governing body to avoid such situations. Infantino invited seven top clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City, to hear the proposals in Zurich.  As Europe’s biggest governing body with the capacity to give FIFA fierce pushback, ECA maintains that FIFA should keep its place a governing body and play its role of just regulating the sport. Angelli’s plans for European football include making the seasons in Europe more connected and taking the European game to a whole new level. He also talks of “harmonization” of transfer windows, refereeing, and a mandatory summer month of rest for the players.

His other ambitious plans to raise up the UEFA League, will most of all come head to head with Infantino’s plans for an expanded format for a worldwide tournament. Infantino has already spoken to some teams in closed-door meetings, including big guns such as Barcelona and Real Madrid with big monies promised for participation. However, Agnelli has also raised concerns on the investment and the financial backing that FIFA has promised to put into the tournament, adding that the new structures were reminiscent of FIFA’s past dealings that led to the biggest corruption scandal in football history.

Can FIFA’s past be rewritten?

Infantino has tried his best to revamp FIFA and move away from the high profile corruption scandal that went down in 2015 implicating long term serving FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. A number of FIFA’s top brass received prosecutions from American and Swiss authorities over their involvement in bribery. A total of fourteen people were accused and investigated for a $150 million scheme that included bribes and kickbacks. FIFA senior vice president David Chung of Papua New Guinea was banned for 6 1/2 years and Kwesi Nyantakyi of Ghana was banned for life. Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait withdrew his re-election candidacy when implicated in bribing voters. Reinhard Grindel of Germany resigned. Infantino was also investigated and soon cleared in 2016 by the FIFA ethics committee for his use of private jets. However, skepticism around the governing body’s dealings shadows the decisions that have to be made by FIFA. The arrests were a disaster for FIFA and it can be argued that the unscrupulous dealings of the former administration have cast a wary eye from most club presidents who are of the view that FIFA should be playing a role as the governing body and nothing else.

WFCA, a softer landing for FIFA

On WFCA, it is a friendlier alternative to ECA which has been opposed to FIFA’s current plans that are willing to cooperate with the governing body to make the flagship tournament successful in 2021. WFCA is currently made up of eight club representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Members include Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, TP Mazembe, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Club America, Guangzhou Evergrande, New Zealand’s Auckland City, and Italy’s AC Milan leaders as well. The association is hoping to grow into a global platform for clubs and adding new clubs to the list of its members. WFCA working with FIFA adds merit to FIFA’s bid for the revamped World Cup and its proposal. This platform serves as a conduit for clubs to discuss their issues with FIFA and make sure that a tournament does happen and is in accord with the rest of the club’s interests.

With 2021 around the corner, FIFA’s work to gunner full support from clubs and the WFCA’s efforts remain crucial in ensuring the success of the revamped 24-team Club World Cup scheduled for China.