FIFA receives another own-goal
This year’s FIFA World Cup was undoubtedly the biggest Cup to ever grace the pubs, stadiums and living rooms of all football fans.
But it’s been one of the most controversial for a number of reasons.
Donald Trump publicly interfered with the Cup by asking FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review a red card decision, leading to a controversial suspension of the call.
Recent global geopolitics also led to visa issues for Iranian players.
And to top it all off, fans have collectively shunned the inconsistencies of the VAR system, favouritism for Argentina and the commercialisation of ‘hydration breaks’.
Now three football giants are taking field shots at Infantino after he shared plans to create a brand new company for the commercial and ticketing subsidiary handling of the World Cup.
The proposed company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would also involve a 21% stake for private investors.
On the afternoon of August 10, the three organisations, UEFA, Conacaf and AFC, asked for a review of the scheme in an ‘open letter to the football family’.
For clarification’s sake: UEFA is the giant that runs football in Europe, Concacaf manages the North, Central American and Caribbean regions, and AFC runs the sport in Asia.
In the letter signed by the leaders of the organisations, they collectively stated that “this is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it”.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”
While Infantino apologised for the backlash he received, there has been no current response to the new open letter.
For a tournament already drowning in controversy, FIFA probably didn’t need another own-goal and the go ahead for the FFE is yet to be confirmed.
