FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hailed the launch of the expanded Club World Cup as the beginning of a “new era” in global football, comparing its significance to the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in 1930.
Speaking to AFP ahead of the tournament’s kick-off, Infantino responded to criticism surrounding FIFA’s ticketing approach, expressing optimism that skeptics will soon come around.
The revamped competition, now featuring 32 clubs from different continents, will commence today with a highly anticipated clash between Inter Miami and Egyptian giants Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium.
“It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started,” Infantino told AFP.
“Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That’s why it’s also, this World Cup here is historic,” he added.
Emphasising FIFA’s vision of inclusivity and broader participation, Infantino said, “We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world.”
“It’s really to globalise football, to make it truly, truly global. Because when you scratch the surface, we say it’s the number one sport in the world, and it is but then the elite is very concentrated in very few clubs, in very few countries,” he said.
