Infantino says football will be totally different after coronavirus

Friday, 3 April 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the UEFA Congress - REUTERS

Rome (Reuters): Football will be totally different when it eventually resumes after the coronavirus outbreak, the head of global soccer body FIFA Gianni Infantino said on Thursday.

“Football will come back, and when it does, we’ll celebrate coming out of a nightmare together,” he told the Italian news agency ANSA in an interview.

“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.”

He added: “We will be better, more human and more attentive to true values.”

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.”