JUNE 5, 2006

A danger for Formula 1

The suggestion that the soccer world may try to have a World Cup-style competition every two years could be bad news for Formula 1 racing. The two sports are in competition for the biggest sponsorship deals and increasing the frequency of the World Cup could hit F1 where it hurts most - in the wallet.

The proposal was put forward by Hypercube, a Dutch consultancy firm that was commissioned by the wealthy European soccer clubs to look at ways to restructure international football for the future. The idea is one of four options put forward. Another proposal is to have continental championships for clubs and then a World Cup for clubs once every four years. The suggestion would be to have the 12 best clubs in Europe competing with the best of the rest. If the proposals are accepted the restructuring could take place in 2009.

The downside of the proposal is that it would almost certainly result in increased tension between the big clubs and the sporting authorities FIFA and UEFA.