FIFA BRINGS THE WORLD TOGETHER
We open the 29 July 2026 edition by returning to 26 February 2016, when Gianni Infantino was elected Fifa president after pledging to reform an organisation damaged by scandal. FA director David Gill described it as a positive moment for football, while American Fifa executive committee member Sunil Gulati offered a similarly upbeat assessment. Elsewhere, an unidentified Republican candidate was apparently less impressed by the newly elected president appearing on television.
Infantino delivered a straightforward message. He acknowledged that Fifa had endured difficult years and serious crises but insisted that period had ended and a fresh chapter was beginning. He promised to rebuild the organisation’s reputation and give supporters confidence in its work. Having highlighted the significant revenue growth achieved during his time at Uefa, he also vowed to tackle Fifa’s $550m (£414m) financial deficit. The funds, he argued, belonged to the game rather than its president and should be spent on developing football. Presenting himself as a candidate for football worldwide, he called for bridges to be created instead of barriers.
We could probably stop there because the point is already clear, but the latest development deserves attention: Fifa is looking for private investment in the World Cup and its other tournaments. A detailed explanation has naturally appeared online. The suggested deal would exceed £7.5bn and, according to Fifa, the investment would support expanded funding for football development. For a moment, our concentration failed us and we interpreted the announcement rather differently. Perhaps we should have started the morning with some meditation and reflection. Still, as Infantino himself declared in 2016, Fifa’s resources are not the personal property of its president.
Everyone understands that modern football is heavily influenced by financial interests. Money does not merely speak; it dominates the entire conversation. Even so, Infantino and his associates appear to have produced a proposal so extreme that much of the football world has responded by saying it goes too far. Uefa, Concacaf and the FA are among the organisations to voice strong opposition. Uefa’s 55 member associations are preparing for an emergency meeting, with a possible World Cup boycott reportedly under consideration. Only 10 days ago, Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the Geopolitics World Cup final, creating the kind of pure joy that would be priceless if it could be packaged and sold. It cannot. At its finest, football reconnects everyone with the wonder of childhood, although Infantino’s name offers little evidence that the same spirit guides him.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Football is not the property of one person or organisation; it belongs to everyone. Turning Fifa into a business designed primarily to generate profit would strip the game of its spirit” – former Fifa president and self-styled representative of ordinary supporters Sepp Blatter shares his opinion on proposals involving the World Cup.
“Although the GWC has finished, Football Daily continues to reach my inbox during the early afternoon. I had become accustomed to it arriving alarmingly late, rather like a Djed Spence challenge, so this new punctuality feels unsettling. Discovering that the working day is not nearly over is also almost as underwhelming as reading the email itself” – Richard O’Hagan [the familiar schedule has returned, at least for today – Football Daily Ed].
“Readng or Readino should embrace its grammatical mishaps and transform them into a stylish continental rebrand. Athletic Readino, Real Readino, Dynamo Readng or Sporting Readino could all work. Visitors would surely rush toward this lively and sophisticated destination. Maybe” – Martin Clifford.
“Call football off. There is far too much information” – Peter Craswell.
If you would like to contribute, please send your message to the editorial team. Today’s entirely reward-free letter of the day goes to … Martin Clifford. The relevant rules for any competitions we occasionally organise can be found on the competition terms page.
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