World Soccer - UK (2020-12)

FROM

THE

EDITOR

ENGLAND

Project “Big Picture”

dead in the water

Plans for a raft of new changes to the English

football pyramid, which would have seen one of

the biggest shake-ups of the professional game

since the formation of the Premier League in

1992, were shot down almost as soon as they

had been proposed.

Writing in theSunday Telegraph,SamWallace

unveiled details of the plans, which included

giving nine clubs (the Premier League’s longest-

serving teams: Manchester United, Liverpool,

Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham,

Everton, West Ham and Southampton)

preferential voting rights over the league’s

major decisions. The other changes, which were

proposed by Liverpool and Manchester United

before being rejected at a meeting of the 20

clubs in England’s top flight in October included:

Everyonceinawhile,agenerationaltalentemergesthatlooks

settobeastandard-bearerforthesportforyearstocome.We

couldbestickingournecksontheblockwiththisstatement,but

one such player that looks ready to take up that mantle over the

next decade is Bayern Munich and Canada’s Alphonso Davies.

Aftersuchanoutstandingbreakoutseasonin2019-20,weonly

thought it right to give the lightning-quick superstar-in-the-

making the coverage he deserves, with an exclusive interview

(page 40) and detailed player biography (page 32) on his

incredible rags-to-riches story.

His emergence from Canada and MLS is a growing trend of

themoderngame,withtheCanadiantrailblazerswhopavedthe

way for him analysed in detail along with his contemporaries

(page44),whilethenextMLSexports

beingrolledofftheproductionline

arerevealedinTalentScout(page48).

Butthiseditionalsotakesafar

wider look at the football landscape

–bothonandoffthepitch.John

Duerden investigates how Lebanon

is using football to help rebuild

the country after the Beirut blast,

coronavirus pandemic and various

other social, political and economic

issues (page 24); Steve Menary’s

Special Report (page 74) examines the

changestoFIFA’seligibilitycriteriaanditsimpactonthe

internationalgame;whileNickBidwellprovidesyouwithan

essential guide to all 32 teams in this season’s Champions

League (page 50) – a must read.

Europe’s showpiece club competition isn’t the only tournament

weprevieweither–internationalfootballfinallyreturnstoAfrica

as the qualifiers for Cameroon 2022 recommence in November

(page 88), the Indian Super League also kicks off (page 90),

while the final four places at Euro 2020 will finally be

decided in the play-off finals (page 80).

Theworldcontinuestobehitextremelyhardin2020,but

withpositivestoriesemergingeverydaythroughfootballin

theformofAlphonsoDavies’meteoricrise,

Chapecoense’s new success

story (page 28) and Musa

Juwara’s emergence (page 29),

the beautiful game can

always provide a light at

the end of the tunnel.

Stephen Fishlock, Group Editor

Every once

in a while, a

generational talent

emerges that looks

set to be a

standard-bearer

for the sport for

years to come

THEWORLD THIS MONTH