World governing body FIFA said on Monday it believed a general consensus had been reached with European governing body UEFA, leagues and clubs on a deal to cut the number of international fixtures.
Last week, European football clubs announced a deal with UEFA to trim the schedule amid claims of overload for players although FIFA, which has the final say, appeared to question their stance.
However, in a statement from its Zurich headquarters, FIFA indicated "major" progress had been made following a meeting opened by FIFA President Sepp Blatter and conducted by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke of confederations, clubs, leagues and players.
The participants "unanimously stated that much progress has been made on reaching a consensus."
Essentially, the agreement in principle validates proposals backed by the European Club Association (ECA), grouping 201 teams from all 53 UEFA member nations, to cut the annual number of international matches from the current 12 to nine.
The ECA agreed that scenario with UEFA after an ECA general assembly in Warsaw last week and termed the move - scrapping August friendlies and introducing rules allowing player release for international duty for no more than one senior tournament per year - "a major breakthrough for European club football.
The latter restriction would not include Olympic or youth tournaments, however.
In addition, players from African and Latin American countries who have played their regional tournaments in a Confederations Cup year would also be allowed to play that event if their nation has qualified.
A further pillar of the ECA-UEFA proposals would see international championships end by mid-July and the Africa Cup of Nations start in early January to avoid the current schedule which extends into February and leaves European clubs, who have no winter break, shorn of their African stars for over a month.
The ECA-UEFA deal, valid from June 1 to May 30, 2018, further covers injury insurance for European clubs' players on international duty.
FIFA had previously been irked at the ECA for turning down mutual talks on the need to cut fixtures but the world body had stressed it hoped all parties would move forward at Monday's meeting, while reiterating that it alone is the ultimate arbiter of the international calendar.
FIFA said its executive committee will discuss the proposals at a scheduled meeting on March 29-30.
In the meantime it drew up the main points to be submitted to that meeting.
Those include releasing players to their countries on the Monday ahead of the nine double dates across a two-year cycle for a total 18 matches in that period plus one double date for non-European nations during Euro 2016 albeit without recourse to specific dates.
Source: AFP
