IOC members unite against Infantino’s World Cup plan

BEIJING: FIFA’s fading plan for biennial World Cups was labelled a threat from football to all other sports by the International Olympic Committee on Thursday.

On the first day of the IOC session before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday, IOC members called on Gianni Infantino, the president of world football governing body and who is also an IOC member, to drop his plans.

Infantino, who has cancelled his trip to China, has said changing the World Cup cycle from four years to two would generate an extra $4.4 billion in revenues for the world body.

IOC President Thomas Bach chided Infantino for not being in Beijing to hear the criticism.

“We all would have very much liked to discuss the FIFA proposal for a biennial World Cup together with the FIFA president and IOC member,” Bach told about 100 colleagues at the traditional pre-Olympic meeting, with some there in person and others viewing remotely.

Infantino was expected to be watching remotely from Cameroon after telling the IOC he would attend the final stages of the African Cup of Nations.