YOKOHAMA -- UEFA president and a FIFA vice president Lennart Johansson on Thursday suggested that European soccer's governing body consider the rescheduling of club competitions in Europe in order to prevent European-based players from entering the World Cup in a physically tired state and to give them sufficient time for World Cup preparation.
"When it comes to the UEFA competitions, I think we have the opportunity to look at this and take action in order to avoid these kinds of (schedule) clashes," Johansson said at a FIFA press conference.
The Champions League final last season was held on May 15, two weeks prior to the start of the World Cup, which was May 31. Many critics have pointed out that the European-based players had not been given enough time to recover from fatigue after their demanding domestic seasons to produce their best performances in the World Cup.