29 Jul 2026 20:09:54
While appallingly and overtly corrupt, the FIFA plan to sell off a stake will no doubt go through and Sychofantino will get his enormous salary commensurate with NFL commissioner Roger Goddell's $64m a year. I'm not going to dwell on that, however. More interesting is this concept of democratization of the game, which may be in large part also a self-serving ruse, but is there perhaps some truth to it?
We in Europe, and England in particular, see football as mainly a club game. Our allegiances stem from our roots within local communities. The sport is highly developed. For most of the rest of the world, with a limited possible exception of S. America, football is poor and underfunded with no major TV and sponsorship revenues and no massive stadiums. Does anyone know the top club team in Africa? Saudi Arabia is doing its best to acquire good players, but does anyone know of any other top club teams in Asia? Those two continents represent >75% of the world's population. Their FIFA representatives will be voting for Infantino, for expansion of the World Cup and World Club Championship, because it will bring money into their federations or at least into the pockets of the corrupt individuals at the head of them.
UEFA will, of course, see it as a potential diminution of its dominant position.
The globalization of the sport brings both good and bad. Obviously the EPL and its teams have reaped enormous financial benefit over the last few decades. Personally I don't want to see an expanded World Cup. It went on for too long anyway. And I really don't want to see extended hydration breaks as a way to integrate more advertising revenue for the networks. And worst of all I hate the idea of extended half time shows. I have no idea, however, whether all the millions of people from around the globe who were drawn to go to the games and/or watch on TV feel the same way. Do those who are drawn to the game but are not imbued by birth with its deep rooted club traditions, feel the same way? I think many of us view most of the international calendar as an unwelcome interruption to the league schedule and its weekly rituals.
30 Jul 2026 04:05:09
Not necessarily. ?