YET ANOTHER LENGTHY WEEKEND
And so it begins once more. This is not about the opening of the Scottish Premiership campaign or the Carabao Cup preliminary round, entertaining as the Tranmere-Rochdale penalty shootout was. After days of discussion involving money, self-interest and Donald Trump’s extended family, Monday’s main talking point was again Gianni Infantino. Attention centred on the English and Welsh football associations withdrawing their support as his campaign lost momentum. Together with Finland, they became the first three of Uefa’s 55 members to retract their endorsement letters ahead of next year’s Fifa presidential election.
More countries may soon rush to withdraw their backing, even though over 200 associations had supported Infantino only a few weeks earlier. The reversal recalls the collapse of the €uropean $uper £eague, when leading Premier League clubs abandoned the project in quick succession. This time, instead of a few club announcements and Petr Cech attempting to settle demonstrators on Kings Road, football could witness hundreds of federations around the world withdrawing their support. Norway or Japan might be next. If US Soccer also steps away, perhaps Infantino will contact the Oval Office in an effort to change its mind, or at least delay the decision until next year.
For the moment, however, the possibility of a World Cup boycott has receded. Early on Saturday, Fifa abandoned its plan to sell private investors stakes in its competitions. In the UK, it was around 12.30am when a statement attributed to the organisation’s president appeared online. That announcement followed a document titled “Clarifications on Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE),” published at 4am the previous night, which had defended the proposal. Major decisions appearing to be considered by a single person during the early hours hardly inspire confidence, although the timing may reflect an established pattern.
The exchange of public statements continued on Saturday morning. Uefa criticised confidential projects being hurried through by unnamed figures despite their uncertain value to football. It also declared that the current Fifa leadership had lost not only Uefa’s trust but also the confidence of many others across the sport. On Monday morning, after allowing the opening weekend of the Cymru Premier its moment of attention, the Welsh FA became the first association to act. It withdrew its endorsement of Infantino and said that failing to prioritise football’s interests was unacceptable. The next official response is now eagerly awaited, with the Premier League still three weeks from starting.
WORTH WATCHING
To mark 50 years since the first Panenka penalty, here is an impressive tribute revisiting 50 of the best-known, and occasionally most notorious, attempts at the Czech-style chipped spot-kick since 1976.
STATEMENT OF THE DAY
“Some supporters are concerned that illness, severe weather or frequent work travel could prevent them from attending. They are frightened and keep asking the same thing: could we lose our season tickets?” – La Provincia, a local newspaper in Como, reports receiving dozens of calls and messages from worried fans after the club introduced rules allowing it to cancel season tickets when holders miss four home games.
“I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of the courageous and remarkably resilient Franco Baresi. Two off-field memories illustrate his character. On one occasion, Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi reduced the intensity of training because he feared the squad was being pushed too hard. Baresi persuaded him to raise the level again for the team’s benefit, producing outstanding results. Years later, Baresi discussed Italy’s defeat by Brazil in the 1994 World Cup final, which he played only 25 days after knee surgery. Rather than dwelling on his missed penalty or the loss, he remembered watching the 1970 final between the same countries. It was only the second match he had ever seen on television, after West Germany’s semi-final against Italy, whose players had seemed like ‘Martians’ to him. He never imagined that 24 years later, at the age of 34, he would take part in that same final against Brazil. For him, it was the fulfilment of a dream. Rest in peace” – Nick Kinsella.
“Perhaps Gianni Infantino could revive his major sales proposal by creating a radically redesigned World Cup for smaller clubs from less wealthy leagues, allowing them to replace national teams that choose to boycott the competition. Lower-division Scottish sides could be included, opening the door to a memorable imaginary headline after the final game of the 2038 tournament: Fifa Forward final chaos … East Fife 4, Forfar 5” – Russell Richardson.
“Steve Bennett’s remarks about Newcastle United’s new kit reminded me of the similarly barcode-inspired West Bromwich Albion shirt worn during the 2020-21 Premier League season, which ended in relegation. Newcastle supporters will hope it does not prove to be a bad omen” – Derrick Cameron.
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