FIFA Vice President Montagliani: “A Priority To Finish The Season? Health & Safety Are The Priorities”

World football’s governing body FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani, who is heading the commission tasked with changing football’s rules due to the global Coronavirus pandemic had admitted it is a difficult process.

“It is very difficult to give common rules to very different realities. We have created a guide to keep the bar straight in this storm and reiterated that FIFA is attentive to every need of the federations,” he told Turin based newspaper Tuttosport.

He then spoke on the continued disputes across the globe relating to the reduction or suspension of player salaries due to the crisis.

There has is particularly big dispute in Italy that is still going on whilst in other countries players have agreed to cuts of as much as 30%.

“Disputes over wages? As always there is arbitration of FIFA which is crucial to ensure compliance with the rules. But we hope, especially at a time like this, that responsibility will prevail between the parties and that agreements will be reached between the clubs and the players.”

Montagliani then went on to discuss the transfer window and appeared to rule out the possibility of the transfer window lasting longer than normal.

“There will be a limit of 16 weeks for the transfer market. We need to respect the fans. If the market was continuous they would no longer know which player played for which team. It would become unmanageable even on a technical level.”

He was then asked whether FIFA are prioritising seasons finishing.

“Is it a priority to end the season? No. The priorities are health and safety. Health experts and governments must determine the times and ways of recovery. As for the national teams and the international breaks in September and October, the situation will be assessed week after week.”

Montagliani, who is also the president of north American, central American and Caribbean football’s governing body CONCACAF, the went on to conclude by discussing the likely economic repercussions of the virus and shared his hopes that football could be improved as a result.

“Unfortunately, we now know the data. It will be a global economic crisis and football is a reflection of the economy. I will tell you one thing. Football will not change on the field, there will always be eleven against eleven and there is no discussion about that. Maybe it will change off the field though and I hope we will be able to improve it.”