KEIR RADNEDGE COMMENTARY —- This is a historic month for FIFA. The geographical centre of the football world’s governing body and its vision for the game is shifting in revolutionary directions.

For all of its 120 years FIFA and its power base, partly by virtue of its Swiss HQ in Zurich, has been viewed as either Eurocentric or, at most, as a European/South American duopoly. This image has survived a long-time antagonism between both FIFA and whoever may be its president with European federation UEFA.

To be clear, the majority of FIFA’s 211-strong membership is not only non-European but financially challenged. This means heavy dependence on the favours of a president which he – whether long-gone Joao Havelange or resentfully critical Sepp Blatter or current supremo Gianni Infantino – can parlay into voting support.

This has led, in turn, to a strategy of new competitions and expanded tournaments aimed at generating ever more millions of dollars from television and, to a lesser extent, sponsors. Complaints about pressure on players has proved counter-productive. FIFA would aver that the superstars’ millionaire pay rates drive its pursuit of rich new partners and target audiences in the Gulf and the United States.

This fortnight will see the strategy reflected – however Europe and the sophisticated European media may resent it – in the countdown kickoff for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup (December 5), the awarding of host rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups (December 11)  and then the draw for the 2026 World Cup’s European qualifying competition (December 13).

Amid all of this Infantino has also promised that FIFA will also finally rule on the status of Israel within the world football family. However no-one will be surprised if an issue which has been rumbling within FIFA for more than a decade is parked yet again.

FIFA has been decentralising ever since Infantino was elected in 2016. A development department was shifted to Paris – into a Qatar-leased mansion, coincidentally – and then the legal department was transferred to Miami, prompting an exodus of staff unimpressed by the prospect of a transatlantic transfer.

Showtime

Outreach will accelerate in the next 10 days.

First comes Thursday’s draw in Miami for the Club World Cup. The field comprises 12 European clubs, including Real Madrid and Manchester City, six from South America, four each from Asia, Africa and North/Central America with one for Oceania and one for host US.

This is Infantino’s pet project even though he knows from his years at UEFA that a four-yearly tournament runs counter to the year-by-year club culture. Initially Infantino wanted to stage it in China but then the football boom there collapsed and his first murky funding proposal was blocked by FIFA Council.

Even now FIFA is struggling to generate high-income television and sponsor interest. TV channels budget years in advance for the World Cup and Olympic Games etc but cannot suddenly find a magic money tree for events inbetween. Hence European champions Madrid have declined to factor any likely revenues into their 2025 budget.

Testing time

On the ground the tournament will serve as an organisational dummy run for the 48-team World Cup next year which, Infantino hopes, will further ‘sell’ the status of professional soccer in North America. Why else the rush to nominate David Beckham-owned, Lionel Messi-starring Inter Miami as US representatives?

Six days later comes further FIFA fun and games. Clever manoeuvring means the online congress will have no alternative but to deliver the 2030 and 2034 host awards by acclamation – that is, without a vote.

The lone bidding package accepted by FIFA for 2030 is Spain, Portugal and Morocco with opening matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay as a gesture to the event’s centenary; similarly, the only bidder accepted by FIFA for 2034 is Saudi Arabia, already the world champions in sportswashing (seek out the remarkable new report by PlayTheGame).

No European objections about human rights abuses and ill-treatment of workers will be heard or registered or even reflected in FIFA’s non-vote. A likely staging in January/February 2034 to avoid summer heat and then Ramadan is another issue yet to be kicked around.

No question

Infantino need not even answer barbed questions from the media: he has scrapped press conferences, round tables, etc. As he would probably say, if journos could ask him, his responsibility is to his member associations not to the media.

So, expect the torrent of outrage targeted at FIFA, Infantino and the Saudis from western Europe media and human rights bodies to be balanced by only a self-interested smirk of pragmatic approval from much of the rest of the world.

Also, by the way, forget any idea that critical media outlets might not cover the 2034 World Cup or that grumpy FAs will not enter their teams. Moral considerations only stretch so far. Pragmatism rules. Anyway, the media focus will quickly revert to football itself with the draw for Europe’s World Cup qualifiers.

Then, come the new year, European football would be well advised to reflect on what the term “global game” really means.

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