More pandering? Yes and no.

Crazy as it sounds, the suggestion he made on Monday, which will be among those debated by FIFA next January, actually makes more sense than the 40-team World Cup mooted during his campaign. That's because, a 40-team World Cup was just that -- forty teams in the group stage, each playing a minimum of three games. Group winners and the six-best second placed sides would advance. All of this would have added up to more. More games: 76 instead of the current 64. More days: from 30 up to at least 35. More venues: 12 at a minimum, whereas now you can get away with 10.

The other "more" people care about -- more revenue for FIFA's coffers, which then gets redistributed to participating nations -- likely would be that much more, albeit not enough to off-set the added costs and inconvenience. Not to mention that, with such a format, meaningless group games are pretty much guaranteed. (And that's before you get into the argument of quality supposedly being diluted. It's not a view I share -- I liked the 24 team Euros for example -- but many feel that way.)..... ‹‹‹ read more ››› www.sportblitznews.com