GLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
If Europe’s clubs had only their own
competitions for concern that would
be enough. But no date has yet been
agreed for the Nations League finals,
the delayed Euro 2020 finals are
scheduled forJune11-July11, non-
European players will be fretting over
their participation in the CONCACAF
Gold Cup (July10 to August1) and
South American stars may be busy all
next summer with World Cup qualifiers
and the pushed-back Copa America.
Beyond all that, domestic calendars
will have to start the reshuffle, which
takes account of the winter scheduling
of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Even the grand design of the president
of FIFA himself has been cast overboard.
Gianni Infantino brought a big idea
with him on assuming command of
world football in 2016. As general
secretary of UEFA he had seen the
popular and financial magnetism of the
Champions League. As new president
of FIFA, why not kidnap that magic with
an expanded Club World Cup?
After all, even after splashing the
millions to attract Real Madrid, Barcelona,
Juventus, Manchester United & Co, think
of the zillion dollars of profit. Then FIFA
could spread even more “development”
cash among its 211 FAs and, since most
were impoverished minnows, they would
gratefully vote for their president again,
again and again.
Indeed, one day the voting weight of
those minnows in FIFA Congress might
even change the statutes so that the
president would no longer be bound
by that nuisance rule restricting him to
a maximum of three four-year terms.
What could possibly go wrong?
Now Infantino’s “Big Idea” is just one
more COVID casualty.
His expanded Club World Cup was
planned for China next summer, with
24 teams, half of them from Europe.
That has been drowned out. Firstly FIFA
hit problems over funding. Then came
opposition from UEFA, wary of the
threat to the status of its Champions
League. Finally came acoup de gracein
the rescheduling to 2021 of everything
from Euro 2020 to the Olympic Games.
This is deeply worrying for FIFA. Its
wealth is generated only by the World
Cup. All its other competitions run at
a subsidised loss. It mined its reserves to
prop up small FAs hit by the pandemic.
But the reserve fund was established
to cover a force majeure wipe-out of a
World Cup. It is not a bottomless well of
cash, an inexhaustible revenue resource
for an under-pressure president.
Infantino says the Club World Cup will
be slotted back into the calendar when
circumstances permit, for both sporting
and financial reasons. But no one can
say when. No one can predict how or
even whether the current calendar can
survive. It’s tight enough as it is, never
mind new competitions. Playing out
the present programme may even
be too much to ask.
In the event of a second wave,
who knows what will happen.LAW AND DISORDER
Sport and the law do not co-exist
comfortably. Statutes of all the world’s
associations and confederations prohibit
fighting out football battles in the civil
courts. Everyone is supposed to accept
the verdict of the Court of Arbitration
for Sport in Lausanne.
But, repeatedly, the status of CAS
is coming under scrutiny. A review last
year recommended that some hearings
should be held in public, for the sake
of transparency. That justice should be
seen to be done. So far that has fallen
on deaf ears.
The Trinidad & Tobago FA wanted to
protest to CAS against FIFA’s imposition
of a normalisation committee. It pulled
back when the financial consequences
became apparent and went to the local
High Court instead. FIFA threatened
international suspension.
Separately, FIFA president Gianni
Infantino became the subject of a Swiss
criminal investigation arising out of a
series of meeting with the now-departed
Attorney-General. “Absurd,” Infantino
has called it. He has been cleared by
FIFA’s tame ethics committee, but of
what, no one knows.
Murmurings of concern have arisen
within the European, African and South
American confederations. But that, for
now, is probably the limit in this COVID-
era: mere whispers. There are other
priorities. It’s an ill wind, indeed.
Read more on TTFA v FIFA on page 90.Fred DAVIES(1939-2020)
After success as a goalkeeper with Wolverhampton
Wanderers, Cardiff City and Bournemouth, Davies
moved into coaching. His
most successful period
came at Shrewsbury
Town, who he guided to
the Division Three title in
1994 and their first ever
Wembley appearance
two years later.Georg VOLKERT
(1945-2020)
The striker began his
career at Nurnberg
(winning the Bundesliga
in1968), before going on
to spells at FC Zurich, Hamburg (where he won the
DFB-Pokal and the European Cup-winners Cup) and
Stuttgart. He also won12 caps for West Germany.Hammadi AGREBI(1951-2020)
A key part of the Tunisia squad that reached their
first World Cup in1978, midfielder Agrebi is one of
the greatest players in the history of his hometown
club CS Sfaxien, where he played for over 26 years.
After he ended his career, a statue was erected in
his honour outside the stadium, while his No.
shirt has now been retired by the club.Ajibade BABALADE
(1972-2020)
The defender earned
caps for Nigeria, and was
part of the squad that
came third at the
Africa Cup of Nations.
Although he spent most
of his club career in his
home country, he also
enjoyed spells in South
Korea with Anyang LG
Cheetahs and in Austria
with Sturm Graz.OBITUARIESNomad...Riedl watches Indonesia during his final spell in chargeGoalkeeper...Davies during
his playing careerInternational...Babalade
won13 Nigeria capsAlfred RIEDL(1949-2020)
The former Austria striker had a nomadic career –
as a player he starred for Austria Vienna and scored
over 80 goals in Belgium for Antwerp and Standard
Liege. His coaching career took him even further
afield, taking charge of international teams Laos,
Liechtenstein, Vietnam, Palestine and Indonesia.