The Qatar World Cup’s Priceless Lesson: Money Can’t Buy Respect

The recent fiasco surrounding Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup, has left the global football community reeling. At its center is Joshua Kushner, venture capitalist and brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who now regrets joining the proposal. In his first public comments on the matter, Kushner expressed disappointment that he didn’t appreciate the “political dynamics” of global football.

Kushner’s mea culpa might come too little, too late for Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Uefa, which has been leading the rebellion against him. The Uefa-backed plan to lodge a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland is gaining momentum, with European football’s governing body asking a court in New York to approve subpoenas for testimony and documents from Kushner, Thrive Eternal (his firm), and American financier Greg Maffei.

What’s striking about the FFE debacle is not just the astronomical sums involved – $4.2 billion was set to be invested in a new Fifa commercial subsidiary – but the fundamental assumption that money can buy respect and legitimacy. Infantino’s plan, which would have seen funding distributed to each national association for the 2027-2030 cycle increase from £5.9m to £14.7m, was predicated on the idea that wealth equals influence.

This is a tired and familiar script: those with more resources and power often wield it to silence dissenting voices and dictate terms. The FFE proposal took this logic to its logical – albeit misguided – conclusion by attempting to bypass the existing hierarchy within Fifa. In doing so, Infantino inadvertently exposed the organization’s deep-seated structural issues.

The fact that Kushner and Thrive Eternal were willing participants in this plan underscores the problems with the current system. A firm that has agreed to buy basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion seems unable to grasp the complexities of global football politics, despite both sports being heavily influenced by financial backing.

As Uefa continues its pursuit of Infantino, it’s essential to remember that this isn’t just about personal accountability but also about Fifa’s governance structure as a whole. The organization needs to acknowledge the systemic issues that allowed such a plan to be proposed in the first place. This involves addressing the concentration of power and wealth within the governing body and creating more transparent decision-making processes.

The FFE debacle serves as a valuable lesson for those involved: money, no matter how vast, can’t buy respect or legitimacy if it’s used to silence dissenting voices and concentrate power in the hands of a few. As Fifa moves forward, it must prioritize accountability, transparency, and fair representation within its leadership structure.

In the end, the FFE plan might have been a catastrophic failure, but its aftermath can be a catalyst for meaningful change. It’s time for Fifa to acknowledge its mistakes, learn from them, and commit to creating a more equitable and transparent system that puts the interests of all 211 member associations – not just those with deep pockets – at the forefront.