It’s over for Gianni Infantino

Coming to a cinema near you – Fifa vs Uefa, The Apocalypse. Never mind The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan is already working on what he considers will be his real masterpiece, the internecine machinations that brought the world’s most popular sport to the point of rupture. All of human life is here, the big drivers that shape Homeric events; wealth, power, politics, ambition, rivalry, greed, betrayal, overreach and, of course, stupidity. Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s attempt to cash in on the World Cup was always heading towards a winner-takes-all confrontation. Infantino chugging on his cigar whilst mentally spending his billion dollar windfall, Uefa counterpart Aleksander Ceferin adjusting his badge and gun before pushing open the saloon doors. Not so fast, Infantino, I’ve got you surrounded, England, Spain, France, German and Italy, and every one of the 55 Uefa member associations have you in their sights. Quit now and nobody gets hurt. It’s over for you, buddy, but the World Cup carries on as before. With Ceferin playing the nuclear card late on Thursday afternoon, threatening to boycott the World Cup should Fifa proceed with the proposal to open Fifa tournaments to private investors, Infantino is about to learn where the real power in the global game lies. Ceferin’s response was entirely predictable and with it we begin to understand why Infantino brought his tawdry scheme to the table fully formed. Had he included Ceferin in the discussions with Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, and his Thrive Eternal investment group partners before a deal was agreed, it would never have proceeded beyond the first coffee pour. Infantino’s big card is the poverty of many of the 211 affiliated federations for whom the promise of $40m for accepting proposals to sell off 20 per cent of both the men’s and women’s World Cups plus the World Club Championship and junior tournaments, would likely lead to an overwhelming yes. The requirement of a simple majority essentially represents a fait accompli for Infantino, aided by the imposition of a ridiculously precipitous deadline of September. The emergency meeting called by Ceferin on Thursday was merely to rubber stamp the obvious move. Let’s see how the rapacious appetite of American capitalism responds to a World Cup without the European elite. The North American and Asian confederations joined Uefa in expressing concern, criticising Fifa for the absence of consultation. Africa said it will discuss the issue at a meeting next week whilst South America and Oceana have yet to express a view. We can reasonably judge from the silence where their priorities lie. South America and Africa produce elite footballers, but do not have the structural wealth of the big five European leagues, funded by multi-billion broadcast and sponsorship income, hence the inability to keep their talent. The global game is already at a tipping point. The necessary consequence of capital investment from private enterprise would be an upscaling of events. That is the only way they would make their money grow. Formula One peaked at 20 races a year before it was sold to Liberty Media, who have since added a further four, a 20 per cent hike on a season that was already considered maximised. The Fifa scheme would require the tournament to inflate further to 64 teams and perhaps become a biennial event. The players, like the drivers, mechanics, engineers and staff across the F1 paddock, are already screaming at the physical overload. Infantino’s scheme pays no heed to player welfare, only to the profit margin. Like the sophist he is, Infantino is dressing this up as a welfare project, growing the game by seeding grassroots associations in impoverished nations, creating opportunities for the likes of Curacao, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan. Read more Tim Rich: Arsene Wenger has betrayed us all Michael Hincks: Seven outrageous ways Infantino’s grubby plan will ruin the World Cup While this might be the case, it is at the expense of those countries and teams that drive the value. The players across the European Leagues are already at capacity with the present schedule. There is nil scope for the increases inherent in the Infantino scheme. Ceferin, who has already called into question the legitimacy of Infantino over sundry World Cup controversies, not least his overt association with Trump, has effectively set himself as the custodian of the global game. The boycott is only part of Ceferin’s arsenal. Uefa’s own mega tournament, the European Championships, is only a name change from becoming, for example, the Championship of the World, offering other dissenters an opportunity to compete at an event that would really be worth their investment.