Athletic Events 2026-
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This thirteenth hour, I ask all of you at that meeting
to do, for once, the right thing for the sake of trans-
parency, before you give him the boot. Ask about an
honest accounting of his expenses during WC2026.
How much did he spend on planes, lodging, meals,
gifts etc., on anything that he did not pay out of his
designated salary and the "outfit" had to dish out.
Then give us a detailed account and tell us how it
compares, as a percentage of compensation, to the
expenses of other CEOs as a whole and to CEOs
of "non-for-profit"s, in particular. Let us judge
whether what he claims about the "outfit"'s resou-
rces being directed towards grassroots advances
and towards strengthening the sport bears any
truth and has any connection with reality and the
facts. Do not get out of this meeting without letting
him know very clearly and unequivocally that you
now know what type of game he was playing, that
you do not appreciate his using you as accompli-
ces in shady deals and strategies and as useful
idiots, and let him know that the entire footballing
community knows about his shamelessness, his
ruthlessness and exactly what he was trying to
do and his motives, and to stop using Football
vainly and as a pretext for personal improprieties.
Finally, keep in mind, from now on, that "fifa", or
any other organization which replaces it and
aspires to represent Football, must refrain from
having a "president", but be governed collectively
by a council of true representatives, and must
accept the reality that all contracts (hiring agree-
ments, agreements with sponsors, broadcast
deals, everything of any legal character) must
be openly negotiated, published in its website
and be open for scrutiny and debate. No decision
should be taken in the shade and behind closed
doors. Anything negotiated, executed or signed
without being published should be considered, by
its "constitution", null and void and, by default, of
a criminal character. Repeating the same mistake
is not something that anyone should be willing
to submit to and these are the minimal steps
required to start rebuilding an iota of trust.


We cannot receive counseling and opinions any
longer by individuals who spent time in the "court"
of an absolute monarch whose tenure has proved
to be self-serving and disastrous. Any person who
has accepted positions and money from the boss
of bosses under cover of "wisdom" but, in reality,
to keep silent because in opposition their opinion
would have counted, should be ashamed, should
ask forgiveness, should resign and should not
have the shamelessness to appear in public.
I do not remember hearing once any of those
around the boss of bosses criticize the structure
of "fifa"'s decision making processes or the fact
that a person had carte blanche to manipulate,
give and receive gifts and bribes, decide on
behalf of everybody else and put egoism and
personal enrichment above everything else un-
checked and so provocatively and unrestrained.
By going where the wind blows and criticize after
the fact, when the person you served and you
profited from, despite his record, has already
become a pariah and your association with that
person a liability, makes you despicable and la-
mentable and shows your true character. The
only other place where such attitudes work is
the criminal world, where the bosses and capos
very easily change allegiances to survive when
the boss of bosses changes (one way or another,
but, very often, one way). I would advise him and
anyone in his position to disappear under the
radar and start hiding from public view, because
the anger you have caused with your support for
someone so loathable and so repulsive, who has
caused so much harm for profit, cannot be easily
appeased nor will it be easily forgotten.


Now that UEFA and the National Associations have
woken up from a long stupor that allowed criminals
to ravage Football and act unrestrained and unchecked
in their name but on behalf of other interests, and they
at last realized the tremendous power they wield and
that can be used as a collective Force for Good, it is
time to turn a page. But alertness and vigilance is a
must and I hope this saga, and the close escape from
the usurpation of the Sport by what proved to be "bad"
actors, provides a lesson to learn from and a warning
to be careful and to demand control and accountability,
if one wishes to remain a member of a questionable
and shady outfit (my view is that this has happened
one too many times for anyone to feel comfortable
and to have confidence in remaining a member).
And, as slowly, the various domestic leagues for the
2026-2027 season are about to kick off, let us leave
this disaster behind, with the hope that it will not re-
peat itself, and focus on the Most Beautiful Club of
the Most Fascinating League of the Most Beautiful
Sport on the Globe.