A crazy calendar, a football that explodes. From the European Cups, from the upcoming super Champions (see Spy Calcio of August 20), up to the National teams. From the 1990-91 season to 2002, the year of the World Cup, a footballer played an average of thirteen games with his National team. Then we went to 19 and from 2026 it will become twenty, which will be added, obviously, to everything else.
Let’s take the Fifa World Cup: in 1990 the World Cup played in Italy saw 24 teams, 52 matches, a maximum of seven games per team. Duration, 32 days. Since France 1998 the teams have become 32, 64 matches, 34 days. From 2026 the big leap: at the World Cup in USA-Canada-Mexico, not exactly close to each other, the participants will be 48 (it will become complicated not to qualify), 104 matches, a maximum of eight per team, duration 39 days. An exhausting marathon, an unprecedented business. But Infantino’s Fifa never ceases to amaze us: the 2030 World Cup edition, will be played on three continents (Europe, Africa, South America) and six nations. In addition to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, which are hosting the event, three matches will also be held in South America (Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup. The opening ceremony will be held at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
No problem for Infantino, he has his own plane. This is the new football-business, and never mind if someone doesn’t like it. The president of FIFA has just been reconfirmed, as Ceferin at UEFA: they are the ones who command in the world and in Europe. In Italy, who knows: on November 4th there will be an assembly to give more power, as required by law, to the A and B Leagues. Many meetings will be needed to find an agreement on the weights, and on who will have to step down: at the end of January (from the 25th to the 30th, date to be decided) the FIGC elections will be held, who knows if Gabriele Gravina will run again. It is unlikely that Giovanni Malagò will want or be able to take his place.
The Serie A league, at least the current led by Lotito and De Laurentiis, could propose Lorenzo Casini, 48, current n.1 of the major league since March 11, 2022, rector of the Imt Alti Studi school in Lucca, for the Football Federation. Casini explained that stadiums are needed, that state aid that football has been lacking so far (he forgot about piracy…) and the money from betting that must partly be returned to the clubs. Last year the Serie A championship, heavily in debt, set a record for spectators, an average that has never been so high (30,911 people per match) in twenty-five years, since the 1997-98 season. We’ll see how it goes in the season that has just begun. The problems at home remain but in the meantime Infantino and Ceferin continue undaunted on their way: more money and everyone happy.
#big #business #World #Cup
– 2024-08-23 07:05:13
