Does football need FIFA and its World Cup?
Key takeaways
- While the popularity of the World Cup continues to grow, its organizers FIFA have arguably never been less popular.
- https://p.dw.com/p/5Fv QIGianni Infantino has drawn plenty of external criticism but appears untouchable witthin FIFAImage: Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement.
- It's a familiar and understandable diversion of attention from the issues that dominated the buildup.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
While the popularity of the World Cup continues to grow, its organizers FIFA have arguably never been less popular. So why does football still need FIFA? And is there any way out?
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fv QIGianni Infantino has drawn plenty of external criticism but appears untouchable witthin FIFAImage: Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement. The eyes of the world are, once again, glued to the World Cup. Overwhelmingly, they are on Lionel Messi's goalscoring record, a Cape Verdean goalkeeper who shot to fame or viral clips of fans.
It's a familiar and understandable diversion of attention from the issues that dominated the buildup. Many Argentinian fans were denied visas to attend the tournament and see Messi make history, Vozinha's mother was only granted a visa bond waiver to the country after her son's heroics for Cape Verde and those fans filmed are often the lucky few rich enough to afford outrageous ticket prices.