As President Donald Trump to Spain at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the man in charge of world football’s governing body, Fifa, seemed untouched by the competition’s controversies.
In a break with protocol, the final was staged with a glitzy – at 27 minutes and 22 seconds, it was the longest in history.
The show included a performances from K-Pop super-group BTS, Robbie Williams in a bedazzled blue tracksuit and Madonna, who entered the stadium in a car driven by Brazilian greats Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. After the final whistle, the winning team, was issued with . Trump, meanwhile, as Spain lifted the trophy – despite Infantino’s apparent attempts to usher him away.
All this less than a fortnight after Fifa caused controversy around the world by suspending Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban under pressure from the White House.
But the world of football has shown how little the affair has cost the man at the top.
More than 200 of Fifa’s 211 member associations have already as president.
A few European federations are holding out, Germany the most prominent among them, but Infantino is the only candidate, the vote is not until next March, and the result is not seriously in doubt.
The associations lining up behind him are the ones best placed to hold him to account. Some reports say they were from inside Fifa to declare early, the kind of pressure Fifa’s own ethics code is supposed to forbid.
Crossing a line
European foootball’s governing body, Uefa, called the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban , saying Fifa had .
Even Sepp Blatter : “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls,” posted the former Fifa president, whose own reign ended amid a corruption scandal and who remains by Fifa.
When Sepp Blatter can claim the moral high ground, there’s a problem.
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