FIFA’s Congress in June had accepted President Sepp Blatter's plan to reduce numbers from the start of the 2007-08 season. The top leagues in England, Spain and Italy, all of which have 20 teams in their top divisions, vehemently opposed the move.
But after FIFA made it clear at a meeting between the two sides that the decision was not binding it was decided that FIFA and the leagues, represented by the European Professional Football Leagues, would work together to find a solution.
The leagues will have a representative on a FIFA task force tasked with discussing the issue within the context of a review of the international match calendar. FIFA believes cutting leagues to 18 teams would free up more dates in the international calendar and reduce fixture congestion. But the leagues argue the move would mean clubs losing revenues from two home matches and would mean expanding lower divisions.
