LÖW OPPOSES WORLD CUP EXPANSION PLANS

The national team manager of Germany, Joachim Löw has spoken out against the plans by FIFA to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup to 48.

He is of the opinion that if and when it is successfully carried out, the competition’s sporting value could be “diluted.”

In France, during the 2016 European Championship, the number of participating teams was increased from 16 up to 24. The new man at the helm of affairs at FIFA, President Gianni Infantino hopes to achieve quite the same by making an increase in the number of participating World Cup teams. Currently, teams participating in the World Cup are 32.

The summer’s European Championship has left some critics lamenting over a decrease in the quality of football during the tournament and Löwechoes their opinion as well.

On Wednesday in Hamburg, he said,

"World Cups and European Championships should feature the best teams. When you keep increasing the number of teams, you dilute the quality. In my opinion, from a sporting perspective, the tournament is perfect with 32 teams."

Apart from this reason given, Löw also believes that there are some motives behind this expansion, which seems to be politically inclined. He is of the view that the FIFA’s boss, by virtue of this expansion, hopes to appeal to the different small football associations that make up FIFA and all commands equal votes, yet, qualifying for the World Cup almost always eludes their national sides.

At the weekend, while speaking to German newspaper, Welt am Sonntag, the 56 year old opined that the expansion plans will "open up the path for smaller nations to take their place on the big stage.”

Löw isn’t the only one opposing the planned expansion. Reinhard Rauball, President of the German football league (DFL), is equally in opposition of a World Cup expansion.