FIFA chief Sepp Blatter wants smaller domestic leagues and fewer games to boost international level football. In an interview on the FIFA website, Blatter said that the increasingly-charged calendar for world football was a major issue of concern for him.
"In my view, and this is something on which (UEFA chief) Michel Platini agrees, domestic championships are too long because there are too many teams and too many matches," he said. "Teams in leagues with 20 clubs play 38 games, on top of which they also have national cup competitions and league cups, etc.
"This also creates a conflict of interest between national teams and clubs, some of whom complain that their players come back tired or injured. That's not the fault of the international calendar, however, and it's a subject that ought to be discussed." The question of domestic league schedules has come under the spotlight following the recent shock awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar where summer temperatures can soar well over 40 degrees.