FIFA boss increasingly untouchable
“Dictator” Infantino milks the cow dead
By Tobias Nordman
03/15/2023 4:44 p.m
Mega World Cup, mega club World Cup and then another club competition: FIFA boss Gianni Infantino is greedy for football. But the game in the best sense of the word can’t be about the Swiss, he wants to suck the sport out to the last drop.
Nobody stops Gianni Infantino. Although the Swiss does not yet officially know that he will continue to lead the mighty FIFA after this Thursday, because there are no earthly things that can prevent that, the 52-year-old is still working on his legend. His obvious goal: to replace the word gigantism with the word infantino in the worldwide usage and to establish it. Never before has the football cow been milked as aggressively as under his leadership. The frightening thing: While one part of the world is greedily addicted to the system of this limitless money creation, the other part just shrugs its shoulders wearily.
In this mixed situation between fan boy/girl associations and critical but mostly mute and therefore harmless delegations, Infantino can do whatever he wants. In Qatar he allowed himself to be embarrassingly exploited by the emirate and threw himself like a lion mother in front of the heavily criticized World Cup hosts. After the final, he apparently even took pleasure in teaming up with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to dress the surprised Lionel Messi in a traditional black robe. In the “Pippi Longstocking world” of the Swiss, apparently no problem. With this powerful gesture of symbolic politics, he did not alienate, unlike with the “One Love” armband, which several teams wanted to wear as a sign of diversity, openness and tolerance.
The money makes Infantino unassailable
The excitement about the behavior of FIFA and its boss was actually great for a short time. At least in the western world, where the most influential national associations are based. But the excitement soon turned into a tired shrug. Only Norway, Sweden and Denmark go on the offensive and refuse to follow the boss. The other associations, including the DFB, fell back into their old lethargy after the initial outrage. Only after a long struggle, a few hours before the (re)election, did the Germans choose the path of the three northern European nations. Symbolic headwind for untouchable Infantino, but nothing more. “In the past few weeks we have received little or no information from FIFA on various issues. FIFA needs to be much more open and transparent in its dealings with the national associations,” explained President Bernd Neuendorf.
But the Swiss can be terribly indifferent to the departure of the DFB. He secures his power elsewhere. In Africa, in the Caribbean, in Asia. He can do that very easily, because the FIFA system is designed in a very democratic way: Each member country has one vote when voting. No matter how big and powerful, no matter how small and skinny. So it remains an illusion that a powerful opposition is actually forming in the huge FIFA. Especially since the once powerful Europe still does not speak with one voice despite the German decision, which results in an immense loss of importance, and because the concerns of the historically successful nations are not shared in sporting issues in the small associations.
The worse-placed football countries prefer a World Cup that is watered down in terms of quality with more participants than one with only the Mbappés and Musialas of this world – but without them. That Infantino has by no means done all of his sometimes adventurous plans during his seven years so far – one World Cup every two years or a global Nations League – was due to the united resistance from Europe. It’s crumbling.
There is still plenty of milk in the udder
In the rest of the world, the reason for bondage is very simple: money. Infantino has turned FIFA, and with it football, into a crazy cash cow. The world association reports new record income every year and the national associations participate in this, including the clammy DFB. Due to the ever-growing sums, the individual pieces of the cake are of course always greater. Smaller nations in particular are opening up new opportunities. And of course it is the case that not only nonsense (corruption) is done with the money, but the old crusader football is made even more popular in smaller countries and then even more markets are opened up.
But even this behavior is finite. At some point the market is oversaturated, the consumers are finally oversaturated, and the cow is dead. There are already signs of fatigue in some places. The longing for a time when football was still football and not a gigantic mega-event is growing there. But there is still plenty of milk in the udder and enough parts of the world whose thirst is far from quenched. Thus Infantino’s re-election becomes a triumph, although it should have been the opposite. Although a powerful opposition was about to arise. “It would have been pointless to send an opponent into the race who had no chance,” Neuendorf, for example, justified the waiver of an alternative proposal. Infantino enters his second full term with a heap of “gifts” to football. The Mega World Cup 2026 simply gets 40 (!) games more than all tournaments since 1998. Pure infantinomus.
More, more, more and more
But at least there is an understandable thought behind it: Up to now it was assumed that the 48 qualified national teams would play in 16 groups of three in the preliminary round. But now there will be 12 groups of four. The original plan alone would have meant increasing the previous 64 World Cup games (with 32 participants) to 80 games. This mode has been criticized for a long time because of the higher risk of collusion, because one nation in the group is always free to play. But the Swiss has even more ideas for more and more football, for more and more money in the coffers. In addition to the new Club World Cup, he is planning another club competition with 32 teams every four years from 2025. From 2025 there will be an annual mini-tournament for the winners of the major competitions in the confederations – the Champions League winner from Europe will take part. The winner of the premier class is seeded for the final game. Crazy everything.
But nobody (except Sweden, Norway and Denmark) puts a stop to Infantino and his followers. He can do whatever he wants. He can exploit football without regard for losses, such as the health of the players, and earns applause. This is frightening, but apparently not alarming for the associations (enough). And nothing new either. Like a constantly provocative uncle in the family, about whom you only shrug and say: Oh, you know him. So even cuddling up with the biggest villains in the world remains without dangerous headwinds, as his latest “Liaison” shows. The busy Swiss man maintains excellent relations with Saudi Arabia, which would also like to organize a World Cup finals. The fact that this is applauded in the FIFA world instead of being viewed critically by human rights organizations is due to the big money.
Infantino was “a dictator of the most unpleasant kind,” scolded anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth in a ZDF documentary. Infantino knew exactly how to use his power and skilfully pull the strings. The Secretary General Fatma Samoura, who he nominated, works according to his taste, critics would like to be forced out of office, said Pieth. But as long as the finances are booming, Infantino needn’t worry.
Released in France, welcome to FIFA
But the matter with the FIFA boss is not as easy as the matter with the uncle in the family. Infantino not only stretches the law (in Switzerland, two special public prosecutors are investigating an opaque judicial affair against him), but also exploits sport in a dangerous way. A new, separate category must be created for him and his FIFA in a value table for morality and caution. The fact that he promoted Noël Le Graët, who had been sacked in France because of serious allegations of bullying and sexual harassment, and made him head of the FIFA office in Paris deserved a massive outcry. But there wasn’t.
Sitting out as a way out of the Infantino madness? Difficult. Because he can continue until 2031. FIFA allows its boss three terms in office. And actually, the 52-year-old struts into exactly that. But because he had taken over the business from his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who in the light of Infantino almost still passes as a moralizer despite massive multiple suspicions of corruption, in the middle of the current period (early 2016), the current ruler found a gap in the contract. According to the Council’s clarification, his first years as President would not be counted as a first term. Means: He has eight years to find the next gap in the system. Nobody stops Gianni Infantino. Not even a dead cow.