Bla bla bla

There is a certain amused confusion in listening to FIFAs critics, now that FIFA have proposed a new more commercial mode of managing the organization after a hugely succesful World Cup, not least commercially. 

UEFA, who came out vociferously as the defender of community football, is hardly a small, altruistic grassroots organization: It runs the most lucrative club competition in the world through the UEFA Champions League, negotiates billion-euro media rights contracts, and behaves as much like a commercial enterprise as FIFA does (and let us not forget that Gianni Infantino himself, as Secretary General of UEFA, oversaw big commercially successful expansion for UEFA as well). 

Many national associations and other FIFA critics appear to be themselves perfectly happy to benefit from the enormous revenues generated by football. "Commercialization is fine when we do it." 

Football may be a public good, but it is clear that UEFA and FIFA packages it to their benefit; they organize and sell tournaments that we all love to purchase and criticize (one of the most important things on their product). 

We buy the apple, happily eat it, and then complain about its price and quality, but we still buy the same apple day after day…

Now, I have not studied the proposal, but truth is that this NGO that manages football, huge income and commercial deals, with no public funding, probably needs to change something. Governments routinely work with private companies, sovereign wealth funds, investment funds, and corporations managing sums far larger than FIFA's revenues. The argument that "private capital is involved, therefore this is unacceptable" is not, by itself, very convincing. The more relevant question is whether the governance structure protects the interests of the sport and us supporters. 

And that is the only part where criticism is valid: FIFA is an NGO with regulatory powers over world football. It is simultaneously referee, legislator, organizer, and commercial actor. When such an organization proposes a model that brings in private investors or adopts corporate structures, we should worry that maximizing revenues could increasingly drive sporting decisions. This is a legitimate concern.

It is just a pity that FIFA reform is not part of the criticism from football associations and others who themselves lack credibility. 

The proposal from FIFA may not be good, the process may have lacked transparency, I don’t know. But I think that maybe this is the occasion to discuss what FIFA should become, and not continue like it does now. Gianni Infantino was brought in with the support of UEFA to make reforms, but now it seems UEFA does not even want to discuss reforms, if it threatens their own interests and European commercial control of global football.

Finally, let us not be fooled that anybody frankly cares about the fans. Why should they? We will still be buying the product!

Epic comeback

Last season AGF became Danish champions for the first time in 40 years, and as such, they entered the CL qualification second round. AGF does not have a very glorious trajectory in Europe over the last 30 years, so trying to qualify for the CL would be a true test for the side from Denmark´s second city. In the first match it appeared to be a quick exit when the lost 1-4 at home to the Polish champions Lech Poznan, so I guess expectations were not high as AGF went to Poland to reverse a three-goal home defeat, something that had never been done in Champions league qualification.

AGF did the impossible. They won 0-3, forcing the match into extra time (note that with the away-goal rule that existed before, AGF would in fact have been eliminated at full time). Both sides scored in extra time, forcing the match into penalties, where the Jutes emerged as victorious.

This was an epic comeback, but AGF will have to keep their heads cool if they want to make it to the Champions League. Next round they are facing the Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK, who eliminated the Finnish champions of KuPS, and are, as AGF, trying to enter their first Champions League group stage.

Good luck to both sides.

Afterthought

I did not care much about the final as I was traveling. That said, from what I have seen, it was war, just as I had predicted; a match for the times. Good Spain won, the best team, and it is always good that the best team wins. 

But the final sad reflection for me is a tournament that has lost its magic, at least for me. I never found that magic; on the contrary, I became more and more disillusioned by the bickering, hate and media. That said, I admit I am probably an old nostalgic fart, since it is clear that the tournament was perfect for the society today, and FIFA are brilliant at creating the narrative, the atmosphere and excitement that the world needs in difficult times.

So let me congratulate the World Champions of Spain, but most of all, congratulate FIFA for the best World Cup in history. 

It is just not for me.

War!

I was happy to see Argentina win against England, despite the fact that I no longer live or enjoy football as I used to, and probably never will as I enter the winter of my life.

I have seen it all, been hurt and sad, especially in this tournament, so I was expecting nothing from the semifinal, except the hope of seeing a fair and good match between great sportsmen, and no references to history of politics (where I am frankly also much more knowledgeable than the idiotic rabble).

As expected it was dramatic nevertheless, more intense than pretty, but fair enough. 

As many say that the entire tournament is fixed, they should probably look towards England, who had everything to win the match after going ahead 0-1 by the new Barcelona player, Anthony Gordon. But instead of pressing for another goal, England decided to defend deep, giving away the entire match to the Argentinean World Champions, and notably Messi, who after a poor match, suddenly had space and time to create perfect passes into the English area; the little master (whose skills I do not know how FIFA has fixed) provided the assists for both Enzo Fernandez’ and Lauraro Martinez’ goals.

Spain-Argentina in the final; the two best amid the top four in the world who made it to the semifinals in a tournament that despite 48 teams lacked real surprises (frankly, Cape Verde and DR Congo were not surprises). Two sides that have much in common, whose players in many cases know one another, and specially Messi, who is facing many players he knew as kids in Barcelona. Two different sides, two different cultures, two different nations.

It would be a beautiful story if I believed in any of the beauty. Instead what I see is two sides, two countries, that hate one another. 

This is war by other means, nothing else, and as any war, it sells, the rabble loves it. I have one prediction: it will be ugly, it will be violent, and whoever loses, will not accept it, because what characterises the world of today, is accusing the others of cheating whenever you do not win.

I have been wrong all along

I have been wrong all along. I have mistakenly blamed FIFA for the wrongs of football, but truth is that the wrongs of football are the wrongs of our societies at large, and FIFA are the best guardians of the game in an imperfect world. 

Because contrary to what I have previously and wrongfully argued for, FIFA has been instrumental in keeping the game alive at a time when new generations are increasingly looking to other pass-times and the competition for dominance among various sports is vicious. 

The main problem with football is not FIFA: it is the politicians who see football as a means to take attention away from them, and a willing rabble that through social media  

In a world where borders are being redrawn and nationalism is surging amid dangerous geo-political and economic competition, FIFA has managed to exploit these interests to carve a significant space for a sport that real fans may love, but that also gets all the attention of fans who know nothing about the game because of the way FIFA exploits their ignorance. What is frustrating for real football fans is that every four years suddenly every idiot around us is an expert, and that expertise is based on their stereotypes, rather than the interest in the game in between years. We, the real football fans own the game, yes, but we need someone like FIFA to manage the game in such a world. Because what would otherwise be the alternative? A chaotic world of different small federations with different agendas and interests; the conflicts would be eternal and even dangerous if FIFA were not there to centralize the interests of the game at global level. Surely FIFA can do some things better, but if anything, this tournament has shown that they are willing to listen to criticism, learn and to adapt along the way, ultimately to the best interest of Global Football. FIFA is not the one bitching that everything is against them, but is nothing more than a scapegoat for all the fans who frankly do not belong in a stadium and can in my view be charged millions for going to the stadium. Because let us face it: if prices were 1 dollar a ticket, then some fucking moron would buy all 1 dollar tickets before any real fan got hold of them. I have reservations on FIFA expanding the tournament to 64 teams. I am old-fashioned and believe quality would suffer. I find this already happened in this tournament, but admit that the vast majority of the world likes it and is willing to pay for it, as much as it annoys me that this vast rabble of a pitiful majority knows nothing but to cheer for their “imagined community”. This is good for football, because it brings more money in to promote the game at global scale and give us real fans more experiences and joy. All of this despite our misgiving. FIFA has problems, like any other organisation, yes, but it is the best guardian of the game we could hope for, and must continue its great work and be better to resist the attacks by politicians, media, and the rabble.