Konstanz, BRD: Now that the dust has settled after last week’s events in Zurich, and sitting just a few miles from the Swiss border, it is perhaps a good time to review the way ahead at Fifa from an English perspective.
Konstanz, BRD: Now that the dust has settled after last week’s events in Zurich, and sitting just a few miles from the Swiss border, it is perhaps a good time to review the way ahead at Fifa from an English perspective.
The Football Association lost the battle in Zurich and emerged badly bruised. They were accused of breaching the norms of the ‘Fifa family’. Of course, one of the problems with Fifa is that it is too much of a family, there is a predisposition to settle quarrels internally and to close ranks against external forces. The result is an absence of external accountability and an internal accountability that is highly flawed because of the amount of money that Fifa has to distribute.
Of course, the FA made mistakes. It was all too little, too late. In international organisations, you have to build up coalitions of support over time. The FA itself was not squeaky clean, offering to stage a match in Thailand and then withdrawing the offer when the Thai delegate changed his vote.
However, the pressure has been building on Fifa. The European Commission has expressed its concern, as have some of the sponsors. Theo Zwanziger, head of the German football federation, has said that the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar should be ‘re-examined’. Fifa also received a warning from the European Club Association, the Uefa body representing Europe’s top clubs, saying that it must reform.
Michael Platini, the president of Uefa, is seen as the most likely next president of Fifa. There is even a scenario that has been mooted where Blatter would hand over to him after two years, although knowing Blatter he will want to enjoy the prerogatives of being in charge of Fifa until the last possible minute.
Michael Platini has been no friend of the English Premier League with his drive for financial fair play. There are those in Fifa who nevertheless see him as a creature of club football and therefore not the right person to conduct Fifa’s battle with the clubs. He has also made it clear that he thinks that the days of organisations like Fifa being run by ‘political people’ like Sepp Blatter are coming to an end. Not surprisingly, Platini thinks that former players should be in charge.
Seeing Mr Platini move from Uefa to Fifa might suit the Premier League. It might also see the start of a proper reform process at Fifa.