Daily Times

Gianni Infantino, head of the global soccer body – FIFA – has said that football will be totally different when it eventually resumes after the coronavirus pandemic.

Major sports events around the globe including soccer leagues and competitions are canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Talking to an Italian news agency, Gianni Infantino said, “Football will come back, and when it does, we’ll celebrate coming out of a nightmare together.”

He further said, “There is one lesson, however, that both you and me must have understood: the football that will come after the virus will be totally different, more inclusive, more social and more supportive, connected to the individual countries and at the same time more global, less arrogant and more welcoming.”

Last week, Infantino told Gazzetta dello Sport that it was the right time to take a step back and reform a sport where fixture lists have become overloaded and financial resources increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few elite clubs.

He suggested there could be “fewer, but more interesting tournaments. Maybe fewer squads, but more balance. Fewer, but more competitive, matches to safeguard the health of the players.”

Later on Thursday, Infantino told the annual congress of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) that “it is our responsibility as football administrators, first of all to ensure football can survive and secondly move forward once again.”