A FIFA World Cup, every four years!

The MLSZ presidency is constantly monitoring FIFA's plan regarding a biennial Men's World Cup and is following with concern the possible implementation of this idea.

Over the last decades, football's continental tournaments and World Cups have been held every four years in even-numbered years, an arrangement which has become a decades-old, unshakeable tradition.

While it is in the interest of all those involved to create a stable financial background and increase revenue, the health of the players is even more important. No responsible association can contribute to a competition calendar that puts this at risk and imposes a greater burden on football’s key participants.

In addition to the technical arguments, the rhythm of a European Championship and World Cup every four years is a familiar routine for fans, and in this context, such a regular, biennial World Cup would greatly jeopardise the long-term partnership agreements between European federations and UEFA.

It is for these reasons that the MLSZ, in full agreement with the associated countries of the region, joins the German, Portuguese and Turkish federations in strongly supporting the efforts of European Football's governing body to maintain a four-year cycle of FIFA World Cups.

In Europe, all the active participants, players, clubs, national federations and UEFA, are in unparalleled unity in rejecting the proposal.

Hungary, just like other Central-European countries, now considers it necessary to make the above announcement because it is incomprehensible and unacceptable that FIFA's leaders have remained completely indifferent for weeks, completely ignoring the views of those who are at the heart of the issue, and without whom the competition could not exist.

It is also highly reprehensible that, in a way unprecedented in sports diplomacy, the details of the proposal are still unknown to decision-makers, FIFA member states, confederations and even FIFA board members, none of whom have been informed, but at the same time, FIFA has launched its global communication. Finally, in the spirit of fair play, it is a more than questionable that former players who earned a respectable career and players who have now retired from active football, are being used seemingly for FIFA’s own purposes.