Red lines have been crossed – there must be a Fifa reckoning | Football

Given how fast the story is moving it is likely that between the time of writing and this reaching your eyes even more new elements will have come to light in the saga of Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino.

The relentless issuing of different senior figures’ statements seem as though they will eventually overwhelm not just us but also Infantino. It looks as though when the crisis is closed, it will be boiled down to one man versus integrity: Gianni against the world.

Infantino summoned his senior leaders to Morocco for a crisis meeting on Wednesday. It’s clear from the information flowing out of various Fifa-associated personnel this week that generally people see the crisis as his alone. (What a flex by the way that he can summon his underlings to Morocco to talk it over – I will try that next time I mess up at work.)

At time of writing a huge number of federations are still yet to speak but as more information comes to light, the Fifa president’s hold on power appears increasingly shaky.

The president of the Jordanian FA Ali Al Hussein explained on Tuesday how his team’s debut in the 2026 World Cup led to punitive fees, difficulties getting fans into the US (for which they received no Fifa support) and little exposure to the largess of which Fifa ‘brags’.

Worse still, Jordan is still waiting on prize money from the Fifa Arab Cup in December and Al Hussein explains that he was told his FA would be helped out if he endorsed Infantino. He explosively concluded on X: ‘The whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that.’

When pushback against the Fifa sell-off plot began, my initial concern was that, since Uefa had led the fightback, Infantino might be able to paint the episode as the haves of Europe v the have-nots everywhere else. But, as important figures like Al Hussein share specific issues, the pendulum swings back to a question of absolute morality.

What I mean by that is: it can on the one hand be true that Europe has a disproportionate level of football power and heritage and benefits from this. But there are also red lines that an Infantino-led Fifa has crossed here. So just because Europe was the first and most vociferous in their rejection, it doesn’t mean that Infantino’s behaviour – trying to sell a stake in the World Cup for cheap – is not objectively offensive.

From the UK it may seem that wholesale change at football’s governing body is inevitable. But let’s not forget that 11 years ago it took seven arrests of top Fifa officials for the then Fifa president Sepp Blatter to step down, with the frankly iconic line: ‘My mandate does not appear to be supported by everybody.’

Will Infantino go? At every stage since the story started to break last Tuesday he has wriggled away from accepting responsibility, instead spending time calling on old friends to back him. Given what we know of his delusional belief in his own status, that none of the ‘Fifa Legends’ (former players who are paid well to attend various events and meetings in Fifa’s name) came out in his favour will surely have been a blow.

But he may yet survive. Even if he does not, Fifa must finally learn from this. Its president’s power must be curtailed. Many senior figures
in the organisation stood by and let him cultivate a fiefdom to his own ends from the proceeds of the world’s game.

There must be a reckoning, including among his enablers, who need to look at themselves. People, sadly, who include Arsene Wenger, who finally spoke out on Tuesday against the Fifa plot.

That it was said last time, when Sepp Blatter went, is a dreadful omen. This must never be allowed to happen again.

Glamour is the name of the game as luxe events sail into view

Something that caught my eye just before the World Cup is how Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund is developing its interests, as LIV Golf and Newcastle United appear less of a focus.

It’s a series of eight boat races hosted in infeasibly glamorous locations around the world. The twist is that men and women race equally – one of each per team – and everyone ‘pilots’ the same boat (known as ‘RaceBirds’) which 
are electric.

This, the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF say, demonstrates their focus on marine conservation and on gender equality – two admirable priorities that need investment.

The race I attended in Dubrovnik in July was gripping and a thing of beauty, clearly leaning into the trend for luxe sports events that I hear means showjumping is on the rise, as people seek aspirational events that take them out of their daily lives. Although it could also be down to Disney+’s incredible adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals…

Next stop is in Angola in September, all leading to the final showdown in the fittingly glamorous Bahamas on November 22 (my birthday, incidentally, in case more trips 
are going…).

Thank you to the E1 World Championship team and Brandnation for hosting me in Croatia.

Watch live on Youtube or DAZN.

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