Infantino turned on the “fool”: the upcoming FIFA presidential elections in 2023 will be hot

The president of the International Football Federation refuses to notice the obvious problems of both his organization and the entire world football, instead continuing to put forward new controversial ideas and projects with enviable regularity. “MK” is trying to figure out the reasons for the deviant behavior of the head of the most influential football organization.

The World Cup in Qatar is over, it’s time to return to the harsh reality. However, the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, categorically refuses to do so.

It makes no sense to repeat about the numerous near-football scandals that accompanied the 22nd championship. Because there are more specific questions. Sponsors are unhappy, the European Football Association (UEFA), like most of its members, the national football federations, threaten to withdraw their support from the FIFA leadership, annoyed by Infantino’s ambiguous position on many fundamental points, the European Club Association expresses bewilderment at the initiative of the international federation to expand the Club World Cup from 2025 up to 32 teams. This is just the tip of the iceberg of deep disagreements and contradictions that threaten to erupt into a grandiose scandal at the 73rd FIFA Congress, which will be held on March 16, 2023 in the Rwandan city of Kigali. At this congress, by the way, the president of the international federation will be re-elected. November 17, the day before the start of the championship in Qatar, the deadline for registration of candidates ended, and Infantino became the only contender. However, in the course of the world tournament, claims against him became more than significant. And now the elections promise to be hot. If Infantino fails to “run between the trickles” once again…

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So that you don’t get the impression that the author of the article is escalating the situation or exaggerating too much, here are two of the most striking examples of the last day.

The disgraced ex-president of the International Football Federation, Joseph Blatter, in a long interview with the German weekly Die Zeit on December 22 issued another batch of confessions and repentance. Expressing regret that he could not protect football from excessive political and commercial interference. Along the way, criticizing his successor Infantino.

Blatter told German journalists that the 22nd World Cup, which ended on December 18 in Qatar, has become a symbol of a very serious problem – the over-commercialization of the most popular sport.

“There are attempts to squeeze more and more out of the lemon. For example, to hold the final stage of the tournament with the participation of 48 teams. The same can be said about the club world championship promoted by Infantino and FIFA. FIFA has nothing to do with club football,” he said.

And here is another article under the heading “The consequences of the World Cup are too ugly, but now we have to live with it.” Also published December 22 in the Irish Examiner, the authoritative national Irish daily. Its author, football commentator Tommy Martin, unlike Blatter, is so unscrupulous in epithets that it is even inconvenient to repeat some of them.

“Sunday’s World Cup final was a prime example of all the craziness that’s going on in football right now. The long post-match celebration of Argentina’s victory exposed the great unifying problem of our sport – we are surrounded by fools.

I apologize in advance for writing such words in a respectable newspaper, but is there any other way to say this? Gianni Infantino, a cowardly fawning sports administrator, watched as a Turkish restaurateur known as Solt Bae brazenly intervened in the Argentine festivity, representing a cult of empty celebrities. Since the 1970s, when Havelange and Blatter ousted the old bums who ruled football, FIFA has been a breeding ground for idiots.

Infantino replaced Blatter, promising to get FIFA out of its stupid labyrinths, but in fact he just took the situation to a new level. Infantino has become the biggest fool of the 21st century, and Qatar 2022 is his crowning moment.

From an agonizing speech with strange stipulations at a press conference before the start of the championship to general humiliation at the awarding ceremony of the champions, in a combination of an infantin formal suit and white sneakers, the FIFA president invented a unique dunce uniform. Flushed with his success, he announced on the last day of the tournament his intention to remain FIFA President for years to come and become something of an eternal god of fools.

Pretty tough. But symptomatic.

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What about Infantino? Doesn’t he see all these portents of the coming storm?

Of course he sees. He was booed before the award ceremony of the World Cup – the rumble and whistle were heard in the stadium when the Italian entered the football field. But Infantino reacts to what is happening really somehow stupidly. Continuing to bombard the football community with inadequate projects and ideas. Such as his latest proposal to hold the World Cup not once every four years, but once every three years.

Such an insider was issued by the Daily Mail. According to Match TV, Gianni wants to introduce a new tournament cycle so that the World Cup is held more often, he was so inspired by the commercial and sporting success of World Cup 22. Infantino’s idea was supported in Africa and Asia, which could also further split FIFA, increasing UEFA’s dissatisfaction.

Why? Because there is a long-established tournament cycle – every four years the World Championship, every four years the European Championship with intervals of two years between competitions. And everyone is happy, and everyone is comfortable. It was up to this point. True, changes can only occur after the 2030 World Cup – the international calendar for this year is almost drawn up, but the main thing is to start the “fool”.

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This expression – to launch a “fool” – came to us from the ingenious interlude of the great Arkady Raikin “Wheels and Pumps”. In which he plays the director of a large plant, from which the management requires urgent delivery of pumps in order to fulfill the order of the ministry. The problem is that the factory produces wheels. And not wanting to be fired with a scandal, Raikin’s hero suggests that his deputy Zaitsev launch a “fool” – in response to requests from management, write nonsense, respond with nonsense, load mail with unnecessary correspondence, pull rubber. “We have to buy time. Let’s start the “stupid”. And during this time, either the need for pumps will disappear, or the plant will be reorganized. Or the ministry will be liquidated,” says Raikin.

Very reminiscent of the behavior of Infantino. But the scale of its problems is incommensurably greater than the difficulties of the Bilibeyevsky Rubber Products Plant. And he is unlikely to be able to drive the “fool” for a long time.