“The Wenger Plan” – Good or bad idea?

Arsene Wenger is a giant in the world of international football. Currently, he is the “Head of Global Football Development” for FIFA.

His style of free flowing football is one of the reasons I became an Arsenal fan years ago. I have always admired him as a coach, as a leader, and as an innovator in the game of football. However, his latest ideas have stirred up a lot of discussion in the football community. I, for one, totally support his ideas.

In a recent interview with Bild, Wenger said the Nations League should be scrapped since most people don’t understand it. He told Bild, “If you ask people in the street what the Nations League is, you won’t find many able to explain it.” Wenger feels the qualification process, the multiple league, plus the relegation and delegation process are too complex for the average fan to easily understand.

His plan is to have one World Cup and one European Championship every other year. He said, “This would be appropriate for the modern world.”

I agree. Waiting for the World Cup to take place every four years is obsolete. Maybe it’s an American thing. We like to see champions crowned every year in all of our sports. However, even for the die hard fans of world football, it must to difficult waiting to see your country compete on the globe’s biggest football stage every four years.

The Nations League was developed to help fill the void between the World Cup and the European Championships. UEFA has tried to create a concept to keep fans of their national teams interested, since friendlies became tired, and carried no weight towards any goal.

UEFA could also scrap the European Qualifiers and use the Championships to determine their World Cup representatives. They could also use the previous fall and winter international breaks to determine the European Championships field prior to that tournament.

Wenger said, “I always tell people who say the image is not linked to the time you wait before you play again, but rather of quality of the competition. After all, people also watch the Champions League every year. Personally, I think it would be a great step forward.”

Obviously, this is easier said than done, however, I believe Wenger’s concept has some merit, and I think the world football community might buy into the “Wenger plan” if is is presented with appropriate thought and input from FIFA and the other world football organizing bodies.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic, since it is at least interesting to kick around the idea! No pun intended.

Cheers, and stay healthy and safe!

Gunner1953