FIFA president Gianni Infantino sparks controversy, claiming more World Cups could prevent migrant deaths

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been widely criticised for saying the revenue generated from biennial World Cups could create opportunities for Africans who may otherwise find «death in the sea» crossing the Mediterranean.

After his Wednesday address to the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organisation, Infantino said his words had been «misinterpreted» and that he meant that football could «help improve the situation of people around the world».

The idea of a World Cup every two years has been gathering steam in recent months, with Infantino trying to get support from national federations.

That switch is largely driven by financial reasons, with FIFA claiming more tournaments would create an extra $US4.4 billion in revenues for the world governing body, despite fan groups, player unions and federations such as UEFA standing firmly against the idea.

FIFA has said that the additional funds would help reduce the gap in revenues between developed and less-developed football markets.

In his speech, Infantino stressed the importance of making the game more inclusive for countries outside of Europe.

«This topic is not about whether we want a World Cup every two years, but about what do we want to do for the future of football,» Infantino said.

«If we think about the rest of world and the vast majority of Europe, then we have to think about what football brings.

»Football is about opportunity, about hope, about the national teams. We cannot say to the rest of world, 'Give us your money, but watch us on TV.' We need to include them.

«We need to find ways to include the whole world, to give hope to Africans so that they don't need to cross the Mediterranean in order to find, maybe, a better life but, more