What comes next? Inside Fifa’s grand plan after Club World Cup | OneFootball

At Metlife Stadium on Wednesday, Gianni Infantino was walking around with a grin fixed to his face, looking to shake everyone’s hand. The Fifa president was essentially basking in how the Club World Cup has gone, and he was in a similar mood at the opening of the Fifa Office in New York’s Trump Tower the day before. If most of the focus there has been on the deepening of the relationship between Infantino and Donald Trump, senior football figures are shocked by another element.

The Fifa president has chosen the very building where US authorities approached Chuck Blazer and started the process of “flipping him”. The disgraced football official notoriously had two apartments in Trump Tower, including one for his cats, where he embezzled all of his money. Blazer’s evidence would ultimately bring down “the old Fifa” in 2015.

That was how Infantino rose to president the next year, making the symbolism remarkable. Fifa of course maintain this shift shows how far they’ve come. Other figures feel it shows how the football world is being turned upside down.

Another description of Infantino this week is that he has been behaving like “a founder” – a Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos. In that light, it’s hard not to think he sees himself as the founder of the new Club World Cup.

Whether the tournament has actually been worth such celebration depends on your perspective, not least what continent you’re from.

South Americans have loved it, some big games have sold out, and there have been decent viewing figures on free-to-air channels. The response has still been lukewarm in Europe, with empty seats visible, while there haven’t exactly been many memorable moments.

open image in gallery

There have been swathes of empty seats at some Club World Cup games (Reuters)

open image in gallery

But Fifa president Gianni Infantino is said to be delighted with how the revamped Club World Cup has gone (Getty Images)

Since the tournament is new, it lacks mythology, and true stakes. It says much that most of the discussion still keeps coming back to prize money. The injury to Jamal Musiala also showed another cost.

None of that really matters with regards to Fifa’s aims, though. They see most criticism as being driven by a jealous Uefa. Above all, Infantino has proven to clubs that Fifa can deliver the tournament. That might primarily be down to Saudi money, but this was a resource the clubs had been trying to unlock for years. Many have been trying to sell shares to the Public Investment Fund.

If that just shows the tournament still can’t stand on its own, it’s also why Al-Hilal’s shock last-16 victory over Manchester City might genuinely end up as one of those unduly influential results. Even if it was partly a fluke, the 4-3 win immediately makes the Saudi Pro League that bit more serious. You only have to contrast that to the struggles of the much older MLS.

Some have even talked about a potential “big bang” comparable to India’s victory in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, and the IPL’s eventual dominance of cricket. Such progress will mean PIF keeps investing in their teams, while further committing to Saudi Arabia’s own ambitions, that go beyond the 2034 World Cup.

open image in gallery

Al-Hilal stunningly knocked out Man City in the last 16 (Reuters)

This is where Fifa are as intertwined with the kingdom as they are with the Trump administration. The governing body would of course repeat that all of this simply about spreading the wealth of the game beyond the European superclubs, which is noble and overdue. The truth will only be revealed by where the money goes.

Some club owners have already questioned why we’re no longer hearing as much about the competition’s “solidarity target” – the money spread to non-qualifiers – especially since they believe that was supposed to be elevated through ticket money for knock-out games. Dynamic pricing has brought a lot of that down.

Scepticism persists.

Aside from a mechanism to increase Fifa revenue and keep voters happy, more critical voices have long seen this project as a trojan horse for Saudi clubs to have their own Champions League and the big clubs to finally have their super league. Figures from A22 were even at MetLife on Wednesday, alongside Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Whatever the truth, this summer’s progress has only propelled existing discussions. It’s an “open secret” that big clubs are talking about the tournament taking place every two years, even though Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin thinks he has an agreement it will only be every four. Those who didn’t qualify are envious of the prize money. Some insiders consequently expect qualification to be changed so it’s more based on coefficient – club performance – and an eventual expansion to 48 teams.

open image in gallery

The Club World Cup could be expanded to let more big teams in (AP)

It is sub-optimal for Fifa, after all, that hundreds of millions of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona fans don’t care.

In that scenario, big European clubs could have leverage, and demand Fifa introduce PSR-style regulation to constrain the Saudi clubs. Infantino’s response would be a wonder.

Some sources even talk of more outlandish plans. There are claims that the Fifa competition department has started to brainstorm ideas for the future, and one of them is a radical new calendar. The plan would see the year broken into three similar-length blocks, one for the domestic game, one for the international club game, and one for internationals.

It should be stressed these are mere ideas so far.

More cynical voices believe it would mean a plan that is ready to go for the game’s next Super League moment, in what is already a fraught period in football politics.

open image in gallery

President of Uefa Aleksander Ceferin (left centre) and Infantino (right centre) could end up at loggerheads (Getty)

There is obviously constant discussion about the international match calendar, with Arsene Wenger currently leading a Fifa task force. That’s in a context where the bread and butter of the sport – the domestic leagues – aren’t presided over by Fifa and don’t produce money for them. A belief already exists within the governing body that 20-team leagues are too big. Even more powerful actors are now trying to reshape the game.

It is just as symbolic that the Club World Cup’s first final ends up featuring a state-owned club, in Paris Saint-Germain, and a private equity-owned club, in Chelsea.