UEFA may flirt with idea of 24-team Euro champs

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) One issue at the heart of the game is almost guaranteed to unite everyone in soccer no matter which club or national team they support.

From FIFA president Sepp Blatter downwards, the general consensus is that there is too much soccer being played -- every day, every week, every month, every year.

Blatter has repeatedly called for the top division of every major soccer league to comprise no more than 16 teams.

Managers, meanwhile, continually complain that their players do not get enough rest or recovery time between matches.

The players increasingly moan about fatigue and career-threatening stress injuries brought about by playing too many games.

Many committed fans are unable to afford tickets or give up the time needed to go to all the matches they would like to see.

But despite all this, UEFA are about to discuss whether to agree a proposal to conduct a feasibility study into increasing the size of the European Championship from 16 to 24 teams.

The issue is on the agenda at next week's UEFA Congress in Duesseldorf and, at this stage, the expansion of the tournament is not a foregone conclusion.

But if the proposal is accepted and a study provides welcoming answers, then either the 2012 or 2016 European Championship could be made up of 24 finalists rather than 16.

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