Europe's biggest clubs are against expanding the 2006 World Cup to 36 nations, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Monday.

　　"I am warning against reducing club competitions and at the same time increasing national team competitions. The clubs won't take it," said Rummen-igge, whose club is a member of the so-called G-14sgroupsof Europe's biggest clubs.

　　At a meeting in Zurich on Saturday, FIFA's Executive Committee agreed to raise the number of finalists at the 2006 World Cup from 32 to 36, but "only on condition that a match schedule be drawn up that ensured the sporting credibility of the event."

　　A final decision will be made at the next meeting of the executive in Paris at the end of June.

　　FIFA president Sepp Blatter said it would now be up to the South American confederation CONMEBOL, which made the proposal, to come up with an acceptable match schedule before the June meeting.

　　The 2006 World Cup will be staged in Germany.

　　"I am warning against putting players under more and more pressure," Rummenigge said.

　　Markus Siegler, FIFA com-munications director, said he would expect opposition from the clubs if the World Cup went beyond its current one-month duration.

　　The biggest clubs already are asking FIFA and UEFA to compensate for the time they release players for national team duty.

　　The Bayern chairman said he could not see how would a 36-nation field produce 16 qualifiers for the second round of the World Cup.

　　"No one knows how this should happen," he said.