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The FIFA president Sepp Blatter claims that the number of participants in national championships should be reduced to sixteen.
In an interview with the German newspaper "Bild," S. Blatter justified his proposal by stating that teams and players are exhausted from too many matches.
Currently, four of the strongest European leagues - England, Italy, Spain, and France - have twenty teams in the top division. Meanwhile, Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium have eighteen. Teams playing in twenty-team championships compete in 38 league matches per season, as well as additional matches in national cups and, if qualified, in European competitions.
"FIFA can help implement this because many clubs would like it. However, FIFA should mandate it, as otherwise it will never happen," - said S. Blatter about the plan to reduce the number of participants.
S. Blatter also wants to decrease the number of foreigners in teams, citing the example of the English and German championships where teams can field a starting lineup composed solely of foreigners.
Three years ago, national football associations rejected Blatter's proposal to reduce the number of foreigners, but the Swiss says he is not giving up.
