An article in the New Statesman today questions whether Brazil 2014 will be the last time the World Cup matters. The article raises the point that:
“International football could be the purest of competitions, but the dominance of the global club brands, the bloated finals tournament and lack of surprise factor together with distaste for FIFA mean that it’s increasingly becoming irrelevant.
“From Brazil 2014, it is estimated that FIFA – a charitable body based in Switzerland – will earn $5bn. In 2012, the organization reported a profit of $89m, with reserves totaling $1.378bn. To win the right to stage the finals, countries must agree to FIFA’s stipulations on tax. And they are that it pays no tax whatsoever. Conservative estimates are that this exemption will see Brazil’s Internal Revenue Service lose out on $248.7m. Tax expert Han Kogels told CNN: “I was (and still am) not aware of any other international commercial sport event being subsidized through full tax exemption at the cost of other taxpayers.”
It’s important to note that the article is written from a perspective of a writer in England, where the opposition to FIFA may be greater than in other nations. However, his points still stand given that FIFA is a cash cow that generates a ton of revenue for itself, is allegedly corrupt and run inefficiently, and creates a tournament that isn’t as thrilling as ones in previous decades.
Having said all that, I disagree that Brazil 2014 will be the last World Cup that matters. Whenever you have international countries participating in a tournament, national pride trumps everything. Sports fans will be quite forgiving as long as the stadiums are built and the games are played. To purists, the last World Cup that mattered was perhaps World Cup 1986 or World Cup 1990. If Brazil World Cup 2014 matters to soccer fans on the globe, then all future World Cups will continue to matter as long as countries are participating.
Thoughts? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:
International soccer
- Will Brazil 2014 be the last time the football World Cup matters? — New Statesman
- UEFA club audit calculates €4.9bn of fixed assets across Euro clubs — Inside World Football
- FIFA grants seen wasted as Blatter roadshow arrives in Caribbean — Bloomberg
Premier League
- Arsène Wenger insists leaders Arsenal ‘have room for improvement’ — The Guardian
- Supporters’ group urge Cardiff City to wear blue at all away games — Wales Online
- Mathieu Flamini ruled out of Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund — Independent
- Premier League officials to investigate role of Samuel Eto’o in Chelsea’s first goal against Cardiff City — Wales Online
- Harry Redknapp & Frank Lampard’s appearance on Jonathan Ross — 101GG
- Newcastle legend Ginola apologises for TV gesture — Shields Gazette
- Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey comes of age but how much better can he get? — Forbes
- Andre Villas-Boas: Don’t compare Andros Townsend and Gareth Bale…just yet — The Independent
- Lee Cattermole urges Sunderland AFC players to believe — Newcastle Journal
- Fabio Capello claims Manchester United offered 120 Million Euros for Gareth Bale — ESPN FC
Serie A
- Mario Balotelli’s sister delivers baby boy for Obafemi Martins— Goal
- Roma confirm Totti injury — Football Italia
Football League
- Wolves legend Steve Bull surprises fan missing first game since 1976 due to family wedding — The Mail
Bundesliga
- “Ghost” goal in Germany rekindles technology debate — Inside World Football
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