Wenger Wants the Nations League Scrapped – But What is it Anyway?
Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has called on the UEFA to scrap the Nations League and replace it with more frequent World Cup and Euros games. Wenger, the current FIFA’s chief of global football development, says the format of the ongoing games is difficult to understand.
He wants it removed from the football calendar and to replace it with clearer events that everyone comprehends. According to him, many people don’t have an idea what the Nations League is, unlike the World Cup and the Euros.
“If you ask people in the street what the Nations League is, you won’t find many able to explain it.” Wenger said.
FIFA discussed Wenger’s Proposals
Speaking to Bild, Wenger called on the global football managing body to instead stage the World Cup finals and the Euros bi-annually, saying it would help it adapt to the “modern world” and give fans something to care about away from club football.
The ex-Arsenal manager admitted that FIFA had already discussed the idea, including playing qualifying matches in one month. He was, however, adamant that holding major tournaments more often would not hurt their appeal. Likening them to the Champions League, which never loses its appeal.
At the moment, both the Euros and the World Cup are staged after every four years, with the next ones coming in 2021 and 2022 respectively. This year’s European Championship finals had to be pushed to next summer following the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is the UEFA Nations League
UEFA conceived the Nations League to bridge the long footballing gap between the two events and allow European nations to play competitive matches. It brings together 55 UEFA member nations who chose to stage the yearly competitions and give their national football teams regular and competitive footballing activities.
The format is quite elaborate and pits all the 55 nations according to their footballing strength. Teams are split into four leagues, with the strongest meeting in League A and the weakest going to League D.
Leagues A, B, and C consist of 16 teams each, while D only has 7 teams, even though each league has Promotions and Relegations. Teams are currently battling it out in the tourney’s second edition, after Portugal won the inaugural season in June 2019.
The current format, according to the former Arsenal boss, hurts the value of the World Cup and the Euros. However, he believes that adopting his suggestions would be a huge step forward.
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