FIFA announced on Wednesday that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will take place in no fewer than three continents and six countries. A striking decision, but also the way in which the news was announced – in a modest press release – raises questions. “FIFA president Infantino pays no attention to the press, the path for Saudi Arabia seems to be smoothed,” says investigative journalist Sami Kunti.
Crossed card
A World Cup in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay – on three continents and in six countries. You can’t think of anything so crazy, but the World Football Association FIFA has come up with it for 2030.
To give an idea: the distance between, say, Madrid and Buenos Aires is 10,000 kilometers as the crow flies.
“It is a strange decision. You would almost think that this is some kind of figment of the imagination. It will be a World Cup without borders.”
These are the words of football and investigative journalist Sami Kunti. He also heard with surprise on Wednesday the news about the organization of the Football World Cup in 2030.
“No one saw this coming. It is a decision based on typical backroom politics of FIFA. The rest of the world just had to hear about it via an announcement from Zurich,” Kunti says in De Ochtend on Radio 1.
The sport and the fans seem to come second again. So it was a bit of a pitch-black day for football.
Sami Kunti, investigative journalist
“FIFA has merged the candidacies for the tournament organization in 2030. It is mainly a political compromise, which suits Infantino himself very well. Europe, Africa and South America now share in the organization and will be satisfied in 2030. The path now seems set the stage for a 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.”
Because coincidence or not, that Gulf country immediately confirmed its candidacy for 2034 yesterday. “It all feels a bit like a complete disaster. The sport and the fans seem to come second again. So it was a bit of a pitch black day before football.”
Avoiding criticism
FIFA did not organize a press conference to announce the news of the allocation. A measure to avoid critical questions? “That fits in with the new order at FIFA. President Gianni Infantino does not care about the press.”
“We still remember his speech on the eve of the World Cup in Qatar, in which he said that he felt like a guest worker, that he felt disabled and that he felt gay. That was a swipe at the press (which was critical of the inadequate human rights of the aforementioned groups in Qatar, ed.).”
“Infantino also attacked the press at the last FIFA conference in Kigali. You see it more and more in modern sports associations.”
“Next week, UEFA has also scheduled a meeting of the executive committee and for the fifth time in a row this will be without a press conference. Sports leaders such as Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin feel like heads of state and behave as such.”
Journey around the world
For the fans and the teams, such a World Cup will not be logistically obvious all over the world. “It certainly isn’t, but that is irrelevant for FIFA. Sustainability doesn’t matter to them. Infantino flew more than 40,000 kilometers during the last Women’s World Cup alone – so to speak, a lap around the globe.”
“Such decisions are all made above the heads of the fans and the sport itself. There is little democracy in football, and that is how Infantino likes to see it. The demise of the World Cup continues.”
“We have now had a World Cup in Qatar and there will soon be an expansion to 48 participating countries, which will not benefit the quality of the tournament. Now FIFA wants to play on three continents in 2030 and in 2034 we may go to Saudi Arabia. The identity of the tournament is being increasingly eroded.”
There is little democracy in football, and that’s how Infantino likes to see it.
Sami Kunti, investigative journalist
2023-10-05 10:51:00
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