It may be too late for protesters concerned about World Cup 2034 in Saudi thanks to Fifa ‘emperor’ Gianni Infantino
THE magical effect of Gulf State money has transformed the Premier League.
It will take a while to discover whether these riches will continue.
Neither of the two clubs which have hugely benefited, Manchester City and Newcastle, are blowing our socks off so far this season.
Pep Guardiola’s City, it is fair to say, have disappointed their fans so far — but not for long, I am sure.
Toon lie close to City in mid-table which must be no more than acceptable to Eddie Howe, his players and the masses on the Tyne.
There is further heat for the pair over whether any football club should be financed by a state.
A Parliamentary Bill is in the pipeline.
At a debate I attended at the House of Lords last week, Lord Scriven made his view clear: “There is a specific issue with the Gulf states.
“If people are potentially put to death for being gay in a state, would that debar a state entity or an individual in that government from owning an English club? It is a clear question.”
One which like so many others, was not answered. Apparently, a letter answering the question will be put in the “library”.
I hope it doesn’t have to wait as long to get his letter as it has taken the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to reply to the Prem clubs she invited in to discuss the Bill.
We’ve been waiting five months and counting…
Similar funding will be responsible for the 2034 Saudi World Cup, having dodged inspection by the 211 national federations. Or anyone else bar the press and campaigners.
Critics point out that hundreds, possibly thousands, of workers died building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in fellow oil state Qatar.
The deaths were barely reported at the time.
It may be too late for protestors concerned at this return to a Middle East autocracy because Fifa president Gianni Infantino wrapped up the process before they could make a full case.
Infantino bizarrely said he felt “gay, African and disabled” before Qatar also told women to “pick the right battles”, so he was hardly going to think about the treatment of the fairer sex when awarding the World Cup.
Amnesty International reports women “continue to face discrimination in law, inheritance, marriage, divorce and child custody”.
But women have been battling for decades against this sort of nonsense, so we won’t be relying on Infantino to fight any corners for us.
I’m sure neither City nor Newcastle regard Fifa’s practices as their affair.
The Prem already have strict rules about spending on transfers and soon new directives will cover what can be spent on players’ wages.
Ownership is, rightly, open to investment from companies all over the world.
Nearly half of top-flight teams are ultimately controlled by American investors, as well as by Chinese, Pakistan, Thai, Greek and even English!
All of these owners are multi-millionaires and have boardrooms.
The oil states have only Arab royalty.
Infantino’s behaviour is open to question.
Clearly, he likes to operate as an emperor, altering the fixture list in open warfare with Uefa.
His Club World Cup intrudes on the close season and relegates the Champions League to a runner-up in importance.
Plus, any possibility of an open competition for the 2034 enlarged World Cup has been shut tight.
Infantino, a lawyer by trade, knows just how to get his own way and pay.
When he was elected Fifa president unopposed in 2023, his annual salary with bonuses was raised by 33 per cent to more than £5million a year.
And, as a Swiss-Italian, he now lives in Florida and pays no taxes there.
Although some countries, notably Germany, asked questions, he will remain president until 2027 when he is likely to stand again for a further four years.
The new Club World Cup will take place in 11 stadiums for a month next summer in the US.
Chelsea and City are our entrants on the basis of Champions League success. Good luck to them. And readers for the coming year.