FIFA chief: ‘Turkey can host major football events’

By Fatih Erel

ISTANBUL (AA) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday that Turkey could host major football events, including the World Cup.

"Turkey can host major football events,” Infantino said as a news conference following a FIFA Executive Football Summit in Istanbul that saw the participation of 47 heads of federations across the world.

He noted video assistant referees (VAR) has been implemented in about 50 countries. "Generally, VAR has been positive in Turkey, as well. There are mistakes. It is normal but, when we look at statistics of the World Cup, we can see that VAR is intervening only once in three games maybe one in two games in Turkey."

He also said FIFA have been discussing with Qatari officials to increase the number of teams to 48 from 32 in the 2022 World Cup.

The Executive Football Summit agenda included the future of FIFA competitions, including 2022 World Cup and VARs.

This year’s summit comprises nine gatherings, including Doha; Marrakech, Morocco; Istanbul and will conclude in Rome at the end of the month.

Infantino is set to serve a second term as FIFA’s head after being the only standing candidate for election in June.