The coming World Cups

 It was announced this week that the 2034 World Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. This has engendered a lot of criticism due to the fact that Saudi Arabia has many democratic and human rights problems. Well, I think it is not a new issue as FIFA has awarded tournament's before without any political or human rights considerations, but rather cold-hearted economic calculations. 

FIFA is first and foremost a money machine, and this has probably been the main criteria in selecting Saudi Arabia. That said, other concerns risk undermining the quality and love we fans feel for the World Cup, and one of these changes will already be seen at the 2026 World Cup in USA-Mexico-Canada: the 48 team tournament is just too big, too many teams, too many mediocre matches that will be watched mainly by people from the nations playing them... With already too many tournaments and too many matches, the World Cup risks drowning in the infinity of choices; it will no longer be special...

Secondly these multi-host tournaments that will in 2030 include three "main" hosts (Spain, Morocco and Portugal), with additional matches to be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. 

It is simply too much, too massive.

Perhaps a symbol of our time when everything needs to be bigger and more extravagant, but I can assure one thing: despite the social media hype it will not be better than the World Cups that made my generation dream and love football.

I will of course keep watching the World Cups; I even hope that I will be able to get tickets for 2026 in Mexico through the murky and elitist FIFA ticketing procedures.

That will be another challenge...

The lack of self-reflection

 Vinicius Junior, the outstanding Brazilian player of Real Madrid, may not be a gentleman on and off the pitch, but he is certainly causing a stir in Spanish society with his accusations of deep seated racism in Spanish society, following the many racist chants he has suffered during his time in Spain. Lately, he has gone as far as saying that the World Cup of 2030, to be hosted by Spain, should be moved because of racism in Spain.

Of course it is nonsense, and the World Cup should not be moved.

That said, the reaction from large parts of Spanish society baffles me, because they viciously attack Vinicius for being ungrateful, a liar, an egoist, a provocateur, and worse.

And this is frankly baffling; because Vinicius Jr. may be exaggerating in what should be done, and he has even said that only a minority of Spaniards are racist (something he is absolutely correct about), but he is calling for a reflection by Spanish society that they absolutely refuse to see! 

Because while it is a minority, there is absolutely racism in both Spanish society and it becomes quite explicit in football, and it is something that they should do something about instead of becoming defensive and most often saying that other societies are more racist (they may be right, but someone else's sins should never be an excuse for your own).

Spain is not a racist country. But it needs to do something about the racism that exists, specially in football, and that is the core of Vinucius Junior's criticism, and is at the core of what Spanish football appears to refuse to accept.