Biennial World Cup can help save African lives, says Fifa president Gianni Infantino

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has suggested reforms to football’s calendar could help prevent Africans from risking their lives to migrate.

World football’s governing body has put forward plans which include staging a World Cup every two years.

Infantino says more regular World Cups can help provide hope for some nations.

“We need to give opportunities and we need to give dignity, not by giving charity, but by allowing the rest of the world to participate,” he said.

Infantino added: “We need to give hope to Africans so they don’t need to cross the Mediterranean in order to find, maybe, a better life, but more probably death in the sea.”

More than 23,000 people are missing as a result of attempts to cross the Mediterranean according to data gathered by the Missing Migrants Project.

Uefa, Europe’s major leagues and South American football’s governing body Conmebol have opposed plans for a biennial World Cup, while Caf, the African governing body, has given its backing.

Fifa delegates have been told switching the staging of football’s biggest international tournament would generate £3.3bn in additional revenue over a four-year cycle.