What do enormous corporations do when they are challenged? Exactly what Fifa does
We all make mistakes, but some mistakes are just too big to ignore
By Tony Attwood
Fifa supposedly represents the world football activities of countries large and small. From Cape Verde and San Marino to Russia and Brazil. There are six vice presidents (one from each continent) and normally the central commiottee draws on members from different continents, to provide its 28 committee members and a Secretary General.
The problem however is that the President has become a dictator. Indeed in terms of the recent issues I am not sure he even contacted his eight vice presidents to ask their opinion before making an announcement. In fact I think that the apparent desire of the president to consult with Trump rather than people from football associations has upset the Fifa Council members as nuch as anything else. “What does Trump know about football?” one might ask, and looking back at the world cup, the answer would seem to be “very little.”
But whatever else has been gong on, the President’s actions of late are what has caused an explosion within football, and the European members of Fifa unanimously want nothing to do with it or him.
The issue now facing Fifa is that whatever it organises next, some of its most prominent and famous members will not be part of it. But what will it try next?
Not having your biggest player as part of an event obviously devalues the event, but there is worse for Fifa than that, because the Uefa’s membership could easily go off an organise their own event at the same time as a Fifa event, and quite probably get a lot more publicity, and a lot more income than Fifa do, not least because they will have all the European players involved.
Indeed, although advertisers maybe have backed Fifa so far with their grand money-making schemes, that has happened with the notion of European countries involved. So I doubt that unity will continue, and this for a very simple reason. While many people will be happy to watch two European giants face each other in a match, if the European countries are not involved then will people watch? The answer is yes, but to a lesser degree. (And I suspect the TV corporations will want discounts too).
So there is going to be a problem – although that’s not the only problem. For any advertiser who places adverts on TV shows relating to the World Cup organised by Fifa but without the Uefa countries involved, is going to get a lot of negative publicity. The non-participants will be seen as standing up to Trump and corruption rather than the unprincipled bunch who will get involved with anything.
My suspicion is that advertising with the Infantino World Cup will actually have a negative impact on the companies that do take up opportunities – which is to say, place an advert during a World Cup game, and your sales will go down. On the other hand those who support the Uefa World Cup will be seen as supporting the grand traditions of football. And of course this assumes that the World Cup without Uefa countries even gets off the ground.
Untold Arsenal is hardly an opinion former, but we won’t be the only people saying, “avoid the products of those supporting Trump”.
My suspicion is that Fifa will realise that without Uefa it is onto a loser both financially and in terms of publicity, and it will try and find a way out – and that is going to be a key issue. Because that is when Uefa can move to get rid of Infantino. My guess then is that Infantino will not step down but will be excommunicated (if I may use the religious term), and the rest of the world will be given a chance to re-unify with Uefa to form a new football world order, unsullied by Infantino. In fact I would expect Infantino to be banned from football for life. Besides, can you imagine anyone in football employing him from now on?
Any countries that choose to go along with the old Infantino clique can of course do so, but they will not be invited to play in international tournaments or indeed have their clubs be part of the Champions League etc. Of course that will be up to each individual competition to agree or otherwise, but I suspect life will be difficult for those who follow the Infantino camp. Any those that do follow Infantino could well find themselves quickly removed from office in their country, with the country apologising, and then seeking permission to re-join the international sporting bodies.
Indeed this could also be a time when the world reforms the way in which it runs football, putting in place measures that ensure that never again will one man gain so much power that on teaming up with a politician he can change the rules of football, and start organising his own competitions. Infantino should be, and perhaps will be, banned from football for life.
That of course is the opportunity. Uefa has taken one brilliant and brave step to liberating international football from the shackles of men like Infantino and to a degree Trump (the holder, let us not forget, of the Fifa World Peace Prize). It is a warning that should stretch across football for one hundred years. This is the moment of opportunity.