It was not a dream fixture – Atletico Nacional vs Kashima Antlers, the champions of South America meeting the Japanese champions, the hosts in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. Yet, inside the first 30 minutes, the game was a neat undulation of box-to-box football, with checkered patches of space and plenty of chances.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s abrasive president, wants a super-sized version of the Nacional-Kashima encounter, a 32-team Club World Cup. It is a conception of utter folly, but the idea may have two beneficiaries: FIFA, football’s governing body, and Infantino, Sepp Blatter’s successor, himself.
Dependence on only one mega-event
For decades, FIFA has sought to conceive a new revenue stream, next to their flagship event, the World Cup. The quadrennial tournament is the pinnacle of the beautiful game, a congregation of leading ball artists, refined tactical magicians and helter-skelter fans armies, engaged in a month-long sacrosanct and delirious roller coaster of elite football, with the final and the right to hoist the iconic five kilogram trophy aloft as the culmination.
It is the ultimate marketing tool. Other sporting competitions have neither the global impact nor the same longevity success. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was responsible for $2.43 billion of the $2.48 billion of revenue from television broadcasting rights that FIFA generated from 2011 to 2014. The World Cup as singular revenue stream is a flawed business model that has long endangered FIFA’s stability.
In global football, not FIFA, but the Union of European Football Associations, a continental confederation, are the financial powerhouses. They have different revenue streams to rely on – the European Championship, the Champions League and the Europa League, the latter two annual competitions. In the years between 2012 and 2015, FIFA’s revenue totalled $5.85 billion; in the four years commencing with 2011-‘12, UEFA’s aggregate revenue came to €8.3 billion.
There is a sense of friction in Zurich over this balance of power. The former UEFA general secretary, who now runs FIFA, is a self-acclaimed expert accountant and wants to counter this. FIFA generated a deficit of $122 million in 2015. The organisation’s formidable 2015 reserves of $1.34 billion were at their lowest since 2012. The next two World Cups will be hosted in risky territories – in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in 2022.
Making the Club World Cup bigger
Infantino seeks another cash cow. He needs to – to deliver on his elections promises of funnelling more money to the grassroots around the world, a Blatteresque tactic of the highest order – one that got the Swiss-Italian elected, but leaves him with little time before the next FIFA elections in 2019.
A mega-sized Club World Cup may just provide that cash. The Women’s World Cup is, however, another avenue that may generate substantial revenue in the future. The last edition in Canada was a resounding success, with a total stadium attendance of more than 1.35 million and television coverage in 188 territories and record viewing figures. But the tournament will require time to grow.
So, Infantino floated the idea of his expanded Club World Cup with a possible start date in 2019, the year in which he will face re-election – and the year when France will host the Women’s World Cup. Through his upgraded Club World Cup, Infantino may get his hands on a chunk of the club game and please FIFA’s new Chinese paymasters. Last year, a brand of internet entrepreneur Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group agreed an eight-year sponsorship deal for the Club World Cup.
It is akin to the proposal of an inflated World Cup – grand designs, benefitting a select number of parties with vested interests at the detriment of the game. Not that Nacional and Kashima played out a game of diluted quality. They ran and sprinted with the enthusiasm of a six-year old at a garden party, all in search of that one gala match against, presumably, Real Madrid in the final.
In the 33rd minute, Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai decided to run to the touchline to consult the video replay and awarded a penalty to Kashima after defender Daigo Nishi had been tripped inside the box by Atletico forward Orlando Berrio. Shoma Doi converted from the spot.
In earnest, the Colombians had ample chances throughout the match, but a combination of the woodwork, fine goalkeeping by Hitoshi Sogahata, inept finishing and misfortune prevented Atletico Nacional from scoring. As it was, Kashima ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Yuma Suzuki celebrated his tap-in goal with a CR7 celebration. He jumped, spun and went “Super Saiyan”. On Sunday, Suzuki may well play against the real Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese always want to win, but, in truth, Real Madrid, like most clubs, care little for this trophy.
