INFANTINO WILL RUIN AFRICA

GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA president and money-fixated menace, is promising a new start for african football. he’s going to kill it. Well, most of it. What was merely a public musing last year is now a concrete proposal for a 24-club pan-african league that will rip the heart from the continent’s football culture, while purporting to save it. This is football’s new colonialism, with Infantino arriving from Switzerland and claiming to know what is best for a region that is steadily drained of its talent and wealth by entitled Europeans. Just as colonialists once drew the map of the region — all those straight lines as borders are the give-away — so FIFa will now reshape its football landscape. FIFa’s proposal is for a 20-team closed shop of permanent members, with four additional qualifiers each season. no more than two teams per country will be allowed, and the clubs involved will still play in their national leagues, although how the domestic competitions can remain relevant with FIFa claiming £2.31billion will be generated each five-year cycle is a mystery. The winners of the 2019 african Champions League, Esperance of Tunisia, were paid £1.93m; the prize for winning the title in Ghana is roughly £30,000. FIFa are demanding the 20 permanent members invest £15.44m annually into the project — or £77.2m over five years, to establish it. again: how? Yet this is nothing compared to the thorny business of who gets to play. Count back through african Champions League or african Cup finalists to locate the continent’s most successful clubs, and entire swathes of it fall away. East africa has never had a team reach the final of either competition, unless we stretch that region to include al-hilal of Sudan in 1992 and 1987, or SC Villa of Uganda in 1991. So in any pan-african competition that recognises strength, the east disappears, and much of the south, west and central areas too. The strength of african club football is in the north, producing 11 of the previous 15 continental champions. The last West african club to win the title was Enyimba of nigeria in 2004; Mamelodi Sundowns are the sole winners from the south of the continent since 1995; and DR Congo’s TP Mazembe’s three Champions League wins in the last 11 seasons is an exception for the central region. The last club to win it from that area before them was Canon Yaounde of Cameroon in 1980. as the accumulation of riches is always FIFa’s aim, however, success or quality is unlikely to come into it, so the size of the founder members will undoubtedly play a part. Yet the bestsupported clubs in the region would also focus on a handful of nations. The strongest support in depth is in algeria, where half the top division attract crowds above 10,000. DR Congo has three clubs with gates that size, and crowds in Egypt and for one-off games in South africa can be huge. Yet Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs — the two Soweto teams who enjoy a great rivalry — are not always the best performers. Kaizer Chiefs are on course to win the league this season, but haven’t done so since 2015; Orlando Pirates last won it in 2012. What of Mamelodi Sundowns, from Pretoria, title-winners in three of the last four seasons; what of Bidvest Wits, title-winners as recently as 2017, but drawing gates of less than 2,000 for some games? and given how FIFa pressured Cape Town to build a fancy new stadium for the 2010 World Cup, where does that city fit in? Its last title-winners were Santos in 2002 but they now play in the third tier. Will FIFa really allow an area as wealthy, popular and marketable as Cape Town to miss out? and if Cape Town City — currently 10th — are promoted beyond their ability, which of South africa’s two Soweto clubs do not get a golden ticket? This is what happens when white men come to africa and try to take over. Straight lines become barriers and greed conquers all. For FIFa’s plan to work, regions, countries and clubs must be cast adrift. Famous names, or clubs who have produced great talent, will be outside this manufactured windfall. al Mokawloon, who produced Mo Salah, have little chance of representing Egypt ahead of Cairo’s al ahly, champions in 12 of the last 13 seasons, or Zamalek, from Giza. Will Senegal even be represented? If they are, it is unlikely to be by Generation Foot, the club responsible for Sadio Mane. ‘african football will be able to retain some of the most talented players in the continent,’ FIFa have promised, but that isn’t so. There are wonderful clubs and long established, colourful and successful leagues in South america — but the best of that continent’s talent still gravitates towards Europe, no matter how strong Flamengo or River Plate are. So these are no more than salesman spiels from a man whose lonely idea is to ramp up the size and suck out the money from any enterprise he touches. To dress this closed-shop, corporate, cashin as the saving of african football is the biggest con of all. If Infantino (left) makes it work it will be at the expense of a continental culture and if the history of the region affords any lesson, never trust whitey is surely rule no 1.