World football, money and Gianni Infantino: The show for the re-election of the FIFA boss shows what the association and its savior are all about, says Marie Gediehn.
It is of course an unproven malice to insinuate that, but football president Gianni Infantino may have been inspired by democracies that were not entirely flawless for his election show in Kigali in Rwanda, something of a cross between a Chinese people’s congress, a shareholders’ meeting and Accession Celebrations.
You can also listen to Marie Gediehn’s column here as an audio:
Infantino the Almighty!
And there was also a bit of the Holy Spirit when the almighty Infantino announced the message of money and football in several languages at the 73rd FIFA World Congress. And spoke of the spirit of this grassroots sport, which is all about fairness, excitement, games and fun!
Marie Gediehn’s opinion
SWR
Patricia Neligan
For peace, prosperity and football
And now enough with the maliciousness, because that also does something to someone like that if he only gets malice, so seriously: Gianni, who speaks so many languages and works tirelessly for the world, peace, prosperity and football is working. This Gianni is completely at a loss: “I don’t understand why some of you are so mean”. He said in Kigali, and I think we, the media, have to apologize to him.
Embarrassed DFB people
The man has said he works hard, doesn’t steal and doesn’t profit. Not every German politician who dealt in masks during the pandemic could say that about themselves. I’m still fighting back tears, not only because of the meanness of my fellow journalists, but also because the DFB, the German Football Association, didn’t even applaud the Infantino election. There was no sign of “One-Love”. The DFB people looked embarrassed at the floor in Kigali, similar to when the parents’ evening is about the election of the parents’ representatives.
“Gianni the First”
Out of envy of course! Eliminated at the desert World Cup in Qatar because we couldn’t score goals because we were complaining about human rights. And then “Gianni Infantino the First” is chosen, no, applauded, i.e. appointed by acclamation, because unfortunately there was no opposing candidate. So he is once again cheered into office, this reincarnation of Florence Nightingale, Saint Martin and the director of the Berlin Rütli School in one person – and the cheeky pack from saturated Europe stares demonstratively at the floor. It’s probably this cancel culture!
But Gianni Infantino loves all his followers, even the naughty ones: he thanked everyone for his third and certainly not last term in office, quote: “Even those who don’t like me that much. I like them all”. It’s a bit reminiscent of: “I love everyone, everyone,” Erich Mielke famously said in 1989 – in his first and only speech to the GDR People’s Chamber. But nobody really loved back then, because of “One-Love”! Feelings are unpredictable.
