Football First

Barely a few weeks after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, soccer lovers have been taken aback by news that part of FIFA’s commercial rights would be privatised. In business terms, the deal is a lofty initiative because most FIFA member associa- tions have time and again been complaining of financial strain. For FIFA to put $4.2 billion, which is the equivalent of FCFA 2,373,000,000,000 (two trillion, three hundred se- venty-three billion francs), on the table for all its 211 member associations, is a landmark financial revolution for soccer. Though the cash would have gone a long way to revamp soc- cer management in many countries and also ease the load on some governments that use taxpayers’ money to bail their various football associations out of financial chaos, especially on the eve of major competitions, the reform has been put to question. The juiciness of the new commercial vehicle named FIFA For- ward Enterprise (FFE) to handle broadcasting, sponsorships, and ticketing did not come without intricacies. The plan, though mouth-watering, is a poisonous weapon to the fes- tiveness and evolution of football. Apart from being concei- ved in secret without meaningful consultation with traditio- nal football stewards, it relegates football to the background by placing a high profit m...