Organized sports theme
Which politically aware Western sports event consumer will be the first to ask themselves if Gianni Infantino is trying to replace the nickname 'brownball' with the nickname 'jewball'?
Fifa wants to sell off shares of the World Cup. – If anyone doubted Gianni Infantino's judgment or care for football's development before, this is a chance to feel that a nail is now being hammered into the coffin of trust in Fifa, says Noa Bachner, journalist. Fifa's proposal is about making it possible for private investors to invest in Fifa's major tournaments. – It's another step in a long-running development, where Infantino is doing everything he can to increase his revenue.
Shortly after the first statement, a new message came from FIFA's president. According to The Times, Gianni Infantino is giving an ultimatum: member countries that vote yes on the proposal will receive an extra 19.4 million euros, in addition to the 19.4 million euros that all associations will get if the proposal is approved. – It's one of a series of proposals and ideas from Infantino and FIFA's leadership that don't align with a democratic, well-functioning organization, says Bachner and continues: – It's a non-functioning organization, whose credibility is zero at this point. See the segment on SVT Nyheter.
Criticism of FIFA. At the same time, Gianni Infantino is now offering double payment to member countries that vote yes on the proposal to sell parts of the World Cup. Member countries that vote in favor are said to be able to earn up to a total of 38.8 million euros each. More than half of the member associations must say yes for the proposal to be approved. They have until September 19 to decide.
It was on Tuesday that FIFA announced that the federation wants to create a new subsidiary that will "collect and manage all of FIFA's commercial rights" for the main men's and women's tournaments, like the World Cup and the Club World Cup. The criticism mainly stems from the lack of transparency about who benefits financially from the move. Overall, it involves a financing package equivalent to 9.7 billion euros. See the segment on SVT News.