I must admit from the outset that I do not really understand the motivation behind all this. Gianni Infantino – – FIFA President – – is considering a plan where FIFA would create a “commercial subsidiary” which would run upcoming FIFA events like the World Cup and the Club World cup. The subsidiary would be known as FIFA Forward enterprise (FFE) and private investors would buy into FFE to the tune of $20B. FIFA said it would raise $4.2B this year to fund “development programs” and that it would “carefully select long-term investors” who would purchase shares that were minority and non-controlling positions in FFE.
When I read the reports of this intention by Infantino and FIFA, my immediate reaction was:
- Why?
FIFA is a non-profit entity – – believe it or not – – that already runs the single biggest sports event in the world along with other broadly popular events. So, what is the need to attract a ton of capital and why sell off even a part of the immensely popular and profitable asset known as the FIFA World Cup? My second reaction was:
- This is an idea that will dry up and blow away.
As Lee Corso often said, “Not so fast, my friend!” There must be some credibility assigned to this idea in the “soccer world” because UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) got its knickers in a knot immediately; the first statement from UEFA was:
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially.”
At that point, I thought there would be finger-pointing and posturing as FIFA and UEFA angled to get the biggest pieces of the action from the creation of FFE – – lots of rich people all trying to get richer while not letting other rich people get richer than they are. Once again, I underestimated all that. To hear UEFA explain it, this is an existential crisis for football; it said:
“This crosses a line that football governing institutions should never cross.”
Wow! And I thought originally this would dry up and blow away … And the beat goes on. UEFA is holding an emergency conclave of its 55 members and has threatened to boycott FIFA events if this FFE plan materializes. It would be wrong to say that UEFA is bigger than FIFA, but the FIFA World Cup would be significantly diminished if indeed there were no European countries involved at all.
This is not the first – nor will it be the last – time that FIFA and UEFA have locked horns. So, I was totally wrong in my initial assessment; this fight will be around for a while and will eventually be seen as yet another skirmish between these two gigantic associations that run and promote soccer events around the world. Just sit back and take a sip of coffee – or an adult beverage if you prefer – and watch for the next episode of As The Soccer World Turns.
Moving on …There is an article in this morning’s Washington Post that explains clearly why I do not like to watch tennis matches. According to the story, the action of tennis points is separated by 25 seconds used by players as moments of Zen as they seek to be “as present as possible” for the next point. In a typical tennis match, the ball is in play for about 20 minutes over a 2-hour period.
Yes, I know. The football is only in play for a small fraction of the time spent in front of a TV consuming the game and the same can be said for baseball. I enjoy both of those games; so, what’s the difference?
In football and baseball, other “stuff” happens in the “down time”. Substitutions are made; plays are called; pitchers choose to hold a runner or not. That is not the same thing as game action, but it is part of the game that is interesting to me as a viewer. For tennis, I am abjectly uninterested is watching someone spend 25 seconds – the allowed time between points – to “find his/her center” or to “make themselves totally present” for the next point.
I am not saying that is unimportant or pretentious or anything like that. What I am saying is that it is not entertaining to me to watch it happen over and over and over again. Many people use yoga as a means of mindfulness, and it is clearly something that is valuable and important to them. However, watching someone perform yoga is not entertaining and the reason I turn on my TV to watch a sporting event is to be entertained. If that makes me a hedonist, I plead guilty.
Finally, if you have not yet decided if FIFA is a “good guy” or a “bad guy” in the sports world, consider these remarks about it pro and con:
“Football, or soccer as it is known, is a game of two halves. It’s a game with rules and a referee. FIFA, the governing body for football, follows neither the rule of law or has the oversight of a referee.” (Sharan Burrow – trade unionist)
And …
“FIFA stands for discipline, respect, fair-play, not just on the field of play, but in our society as well.” (Sepp Blatter – former President of FIFA)
And …
“Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA.” (James Comey – former FBI Director)
And …
“I have non-breaking news for you: FIFA does not care what you think. Over the years, FIFA has never seemed influenced by what is written or said in papers, articles, tweets, blogs, and on television about how it operates.” (Julie Foudy)
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
I watch FIFA events once every four years. That’s enough.