Former Argentina international, Liverpool FC, and FC Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano ??explained that he supports Arsène Wenger’s idea of ??organizing the World Cup every two years instead of being played every four.
During an interview with Efe (via AS), Mascherano stated that the decision to switch the timeline for the World Cup makes sense due to the fundamental part of a broader and more positive change in the international calendar.
Nonetheless, Mascherano adds that at first, the scenario of presenting a World Cup every two years felt odd to him since he’s used to the tournament being every four years.
“The first time I heard it seemed strange because we are used to thinking about the World Cup every four years. But then I thought more about it; I had the opportunity to talk with Arsène and other colleagues. Wenger is a real personality football and has been a visionary in many ways for many years,” Mascherano said.
“It still is, and it’s amazing to see a person of their compromised experience to improve the game for future generations. All these issues are being reviewed in the process of consultations with football, and their priority is looked at, not money or political reasons.”
The former player knows first-hand the wear and tear of traveling from Europe to his country to play for Argentina. And he appeals to this new course to seek advantages that help take care of the footballer’s health.
Furthermore, players could focus on their clubs for several months in a row without interference. They would also not have this continuous stop with long trips to play for their national team in September, October, November, March, and June.
“To start with, a very important one is to travel less and have fewer flights. Most of the national team players in South America play in Europe,” Mascherano said.
“It is exhausting having to travel from there always, and then have long trips within South America, to play a game or two and then fly back to play the weekend with your club; if players could travel just once a year between continents, that would be spectacular.”