For the layman, FIFA means Federation of International Football Associations. It was formed 122 years ago on May 21, 1904 in Rue Saint-Honore in Paris, France. Incidentally, its first president was a French man named Robert Guérin who served for two years, 1904-1906.
After him came Daniel Burley Woolfall (England): 1906–1918, Jules Rimet (France): 1921–1954, Rodol- phe Seeldrayers (Belgium): 1954–1955, Arthur Drewry (England): 1955–1961, Sir Stanley Rous (England): 1961–1974, João Havelange (Brazil): 1974–1998, Sepp Blatter (Switzerland): 1998–2015.
Issa Hayatou from Cameroon is the only African to have been president but he was in acting capacity for just one year from 2015–2016 when Blatter was forced to resign over corruption charges.
Hayatou stepped down when a substantive president Gianni Infantino of dual nationality (Switzerland/Italy) was elected in 2016. Infantino remains till today.
In the history of FIFA, Africa was given proper recognition during the time of Blatter who had a running battle with his Europe Confederation then headed by Lennart Johansson, a Swede, who governed UEFA from 1990 to 2007. Johansson wanted to succeed Havelange, a Brazilian and the longest serving president who was in the saddle for 24 years.
As then Secretary General of FIFA, Blatter knew that Africa had the number, being the largest Confederation in the FIFA family with 54 member Associations.
So he worked on that by taking projects to Africa and ensuring that the continent had more representation at the World Cup.
One of Blatter’s greatest support for Africa was, against the push by Europe, ensuring that Africa hosted the World Cup. To him without Africa hosting it, after all other continents had done so, it would not be truly called a World Cup. And Africa hosted it through South Africa in 2010.
FIFA had a recognized slogan which was “For the Game. For the World”. This highlighted a commitment to expanding and protecting the sport while focusing on social responsibility.
Years after using this slogan, it launched a new one, “Football Unites the World”. This is because it operates under this global movement to inspire, unite, and develop people all across the globe through the beautiful game. Football is just one of the many sports under the International Olympic Committee, IOC, which has a charter that governs sports all over. Any country in the world that agrees to be part of the IOC must abide with the Charter.
This Charter seeks to place sport at the service of harmonious human development and promote a peaceful society. The IOC’s mission to unite nations transcends cultural, religious, and political boundaries through several key mechanisms defined in the charter.
The Olympic Charter mandates that sports organizations maintain political neutrality, ensuring the Olympic Games, in this case, the World Cup, remains a sacred space for peaceful competition which guarantees human rights and non-discrimination.
This is the reason why FIFA demands a government guarantee from any World Cup host for everyone connected with the good organization of the World Cup every four years.
All past presidents of FIFA ensured that host countries, including the Arab country of Qatar which hosted the last one in 2022, which relaxed some of its laws to allow a truly enjoyable World Cup, signed the guarantee.
That is why the football world is shocked that Infantino has allowed his ‘friendship’ or closeness to US pres- ident, Donald Trump to ridicule FIFA for the first time.
The world is shocked that FIFA is making excuses for the US which has denied a Somalian referee, Omar Artan it selected from Africa entry into their country to do his job.
Infantino said, “It’s unfortunate what happened to Omar. But again, we don’t control everything. We try, we discuss, we see. Maybe it’s good to just chill, relax.
We try to solve everything. Sometimes screaming and shouting has the opposite effect. Don’t believe me if you don’t want but we always try to find solutions. We are not the kings of the world.” Havelange or Blatter, wouldn’t have said this when they had the document of guarantee signed by the host government.
During their time and others before them, their words were law and they were treated like presidents of countries. Not anymore under Infantino’s presidency when FIFA cringes under the threat of US president Trump who seems to be against the whole world.
The world is not keeping quiet though. Blatter has already condemned the action of the US authorities and indirectly rubbished Infantino’s position on the matter.
Like we say in Nigerian local parlance, him no bend mouth talk him mind. He said: “No one is more official than the referee, and if a country refuses to allow a referee in, the World Cup should not be held in such a country.”
True to Blatter’s position, referees are not just visitors.
They are fundamental to the competition itself just like players who are joint major stakeholders of the sport.
A concerned Nigerian, Kachi Okezie, Esq summed up the whole scenario thus: “A World Cup is supposed to be a neutral, global sanctuary. If geopolitical biases and border-agent whims dictate who takes the pitch, then it is no longer a World Cup; it is an exclusive invitational filtered through Western political anxieties.”
Aptly summarized. And it is showing because the World Cup has lost its flavour as traveling fans who add colour to the event are missing this time around with restrictions or complete ban imposed by the US.
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