NATIONS - Hainer: never sacrifice football on the altar of financial interests

Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer is the latest high-profile football person to criticize FIFA's plan to hold World Cup finals every two years, saying that "football must never be sacrificed on the altar of financial interests."

"Players, coaches, everyone who bears responsibility in the clubs groan and moan about too many games -- and now the World Cup rhythm is to be increased again? That simply doesn't make sense," Hainer said in Thursday's edition of German magazine Kicker.

"We have to think about the health of the players."

FIFA, according to Hainer, should not change the present four-year cycle of global championships.

"The rhythm has proven itself over many decades," said the boss of Bayern, who have been European champions six times.

"The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world -- and not without reason," he added, fearing FIFA's proposal could "ultimately lead to over-saturation and thus damage football in the long run".