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Arsene Wenger is set for a return to football - as a technical director for FIFA.

Former Arsenal manager Wenger is telling pals that he is ready to take up the post after deciding not to return to club management.

Wenger, 69, could be confirmed in the role as early as this month while he also revealed in a TV interview that he still harbours an ambition of managing a team at the next World Cup.

"I could see myself working for a team," Wenger told BeIN Sports. "I must say I always wanted to go to the World Cup because I felt it is the job of a manager to be where the best football players in the world play football.

"Hopefully, you will see me, touch wood in Qatar in three years' time."

(Image: PA)

UEFA's calendar crisis

There is a growing crisis within football over the international calendar.

UEFA’s Professional Football Strategy Council met in Monaco last week with the match calendar and concerns over players’ health high on the agenda.

Vincent Kompany was one of a number of high-profile players to speak up on behalf of players’ union FIFPro over the number of games players are playing after Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son played in a record 78 for club and country last season.

The standoff has reached such a level that FIFA could not confirm the exact dates for the next Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in the summer of 2021 when asked on Thursday.

(Image: Alex Burstow)

Meanwhile, UEFA have effectively postponed talks about a new-look Champions League set-up because that could mean extra games, although they want to push it through by the latest for 2024 and the next but one TV deal.

With big-name players like Kompany backing the campaign, FIFPro want to put in limits on how many games players can play in any season with a maximum of 60 the suggested figure.

They also want to lock-in season breaks, more rest after “long haul” trips (with La Liga keen to go abroad and also the forthcoming Club World Cup in Qatar) and a limit on the number of times a player can play “back-to-back” games in a season with less than five days in between,

It puts a further spanner in the works into UEFA’s grand plan for new-look European club tournaments and could cause issues for FIFA and plans to expand their club tournaments.

(Image: REUTERS)

Real Madrid not in Eriksen's future - even on a free

Christian Eriksen looks set to leave Tottenham on a free transfer next summer - and that could rule out a move to Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants have only rarely signed free transfers as their general mantra has, down the years, because they do not believe in the system and always look for spectacular signings.

They signed Japanese teenager Takefusa Kubo, 18, this summer and also got Hamit Altintop from Bayern Munich in 2011 as well as Christoph Metzelder, Jerzy Dudek and Javier Saviola in the distant past.

But Eriksen was not near the top of Real Madrid’s wish list this summer and there is a belief that they will not pursue a free signing for the Denmark midfielder.

(Image: Offside via Getty Images)

Clarets delight

Burnley’s players - including Chris Wood, Jack Cork, Nick Pope and Sam Vokes (now at Stoke) - were early onto a winner last weekend.

England international Cork came up with the idea to buy Breathalyzer - who is trained by Michael Owen’s trainer Tom Dascombe - and the two-year-old finished second at Chester whilst wearing claret and blue colours.

Irony of Qatar logo unveiling location

The launch for the new Qatar 2022 logo this week had a nice touch of irony in London.

One of the four London venues to show it on a giant screen was Westfield in Stratford which used to be owned by Australian businessman Frank Lowy.

Lowy was arguably the most vocal critic of FIFA awarding the tournament to Qatar rather than Australia and launched his own anti-FIFA campaign.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Keane's back on screen

With impeccable timing, Manchester United legend Roy Keane is part of ITV’s team for their coverage of England’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Bulgaria on Saturday.

Keane’s latest blast against Sir Alex Ferguson has reopened old wounds and he will be back in front of the cameras at Wembley with fit-again Glenn Hoddle also on the ITV line-up.

And finally...

Ashes hero Ben Stokes is making the most of his summer glory by rushing out his autobiography in November.