In a week when FIFA announced that the 2030 World Cup would take place across three continents and begin in South America even though the host countries are Spain, Portugal and Morocco, Fabrizio Romano was just one to voice his concern.
The premier football tournament’s 100th anniversary falls in that year, hence the symbolism of kicking off in Uruguay, where the first ever World Cup was held in 1930.
Games follow in Argentina (defeated finalists in 1930) and Paraguay (where Conmebol – organisers of the first World Cup – are situated), before the teams decant back to Europe.
‘I can understand the symbolic reason for the tournament taking place on different continents, being the 100 year celebration, but at the same time I’m just worried for the players who are already playing an incredible number of games every week,’ Romano wrote in his exclusive Daily Briefing column.
‘They’ll have to travel more and more. It will make things more difficult, but for sure it will be fascinating from the fans point of view.’
It’s worth dwelling on the playing aspect, given that the travel will come after another long, arduous season.
Pep Guardiola has already called on players to revolt (per The Athletic, subscription required), so news of what FIFA have planned will likely help his call to action.
As long as the financial wheels keep turning, it seems that the governing bodies are happy for elite footballers to keep putting their bodies on the line week-in and week-out, travelling to ever more far flung places for the corporate pound.
By 2030 things might even have come to a head because of player burnout, and FIFA could end up with egg on their faces.