FIFA needs to get its priorities right

FIFA has its priorities wrong in focussing on expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams

As a matter of principle, I am not against expansion of the World Cup finals. I understand that expansion may be an important symbolic step for many member associations. For example, Asia currently has 14% of the World Cup finals slots and 33% of the world’s players (2007 data).

But I am against expansion to 48 teams at this time.

Gianni Infantino’s election campaign included a 40-team World Cup. It was included as a way of currying favour from the member associations whose votes he needed, but at least it was a much more measured and incremental increase. 

However, more to the point is that expansion talk is a distraction. It is not necessary to make the decision now; it is not necessary to have a bidding process for 2026 now; and there are many more important matters for Infantino to focus on.

For example, getting world football right.

While my colleagues and I from #NewFIFANow will have more to say about this at the end of next month, it appears Infantino has done little more so far than swan around the world – sometimes on private aircraft of doubtful genesis – smile for the cameras, and make the typical pronouncements of a FIFA President.

His scheme for a 48-team World Cup finals tournament is nothing more than a leaf out of the Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter Playbook. That is: give members in Africa, Asia, CONCACAF and South America more places in the name of ‘football’; suggest that those who criticise are against change, Euro or Anglo-centric and being selfish; bring in more money to the coffers – something Infantino needs to fund his election promises; and consolidate support for his 2019 election campaign.

But hang on, where have the investigations to date been focused in terms of the “mafia-style crime syndicate” that has operated within world football? CONCACAF and South America of course – and that’s only because the authorities have not yet turned their attention to Asia and Africa.

Funnily enough, Infantino says that there’s more to football than Europe and South America. He’s absolutely right. So it’s hard to understand, therefore, why the South American confederation will now have 60% of their members at the World Cup – up from 45% which was already the largest proportion of members.

It is also a one-dimensional view from the FIFA President that improving inclusivity in football and ‘football development’ can best be achieved through the World Cup finals.

The World Cup is not just a 32-day extravaganza every four years but a qualification process of up to three years beforehand. A 48-team finals tournament will effectively cannibalise the qualification process for many confederations.

Further, it’s not clear how a reduced qualification process plus, perhaps, the opportunity to play two games at the World Cup finals is going to aid development. Yes, it will be a thrill for the players. It will be a great short-term adrenalin rush for that nation’s fans to say they’ve been.

But if ‘football development’ is the primary objective of expansion to 48 teams, how will it improve coaching standards, or referee standards, or improve and expand facilities, or improve opportunities for girls and boys from disadvantaged nations to play? What about considering a second, smaller tournament open only to the nations ranked 101-212 to give them an even stronger chance of making it to a genuine competition? How about expanding the Women’s World Cup to encourage greater participation by girls?

A 48-team finals series will dilute the competitiveness of the tournament. It is a little akin to having two bottles of champagne in front of you. One is a large bottle of cheap bubbly lollie-water. The other is a smaller bottle of vintage brut sourced from the best grapes. As a consumer/supporter, which would you go for?

But the bottom-line is that there is no imperative to make this decision now.

The most important job of the FIFA President is to restore trust and credibility and to put in place systems and checks and balances so we can be confident the ‘mafia-like’ operations that have flourished around the football world are eliminated. It’s not just about ensuring some individuals are out of the game, but the modus operandi of worldwide football administration.

That’s a big, big job – and not much has been done so far to address it.

FIFA still hasn’t dealt with the fallout from the 2018 and 2022 bidding process or – considering the disregard for the views of fans and the apparent lack of stakeholder engagement - shown that it has learned any lessons from it.

Yet they are wanting to take our minds off that by showing us a shiny new World Cup finals structure - for something that is nine years and two World Cup’s away.