NATIONS - Fans oppose a biennial World Cup cycle

The idea is "what the fans desire," according to FIFA director of development Arsene Wenger, according to a joint statement published Tuesday by 58 fan groups representing all six confederations.

The declaration says, "The undersigned fan organizations unequivocally deny this assertion." "The vast majority of fans reject a biannual World Cup cycle, and FIFA would have known this if they had bothered to communicate with us on the topic."

The fan organizations expressed their concerns about the potential harm that a biannual World Cup would create.

"Such a move threatens to destroy the already fragile balance between local, domestic, continental, and international competitions and calendars," the statement reads. "In particular, it will devalue and endanger the established competitions run by the various confederations - competitions that are just as important to match-going fans as the World Cup itself.

"We enjoy the World Cup precisely because it is an extraordinary event. Most of us do not have the time, money, or ability to travel to the other side of the world every 24 months to watch our teams play in a much-diminished competition and half-empty stadia."

"We... call on FIFA and supporting national football organizations to reject their attempts to impose a biannual World Cup and to incorporate fans' views in any decisions that impact the future of the game that we fund and turn into a worldwide spectacle," the statement adds.