Dear Gianni Infantino, meditate on this

Sometimes it is better to say nothing. Almost always when the controversy involves those in positions of power. Fifa president Gianni Infantino ought, therefore, to take the royal gag, ie, never complain, never explain. But no. An inflamed Infantino went full Donald Trump over criticisms levelled at the World Cup. It is not known if his Instagram rant was composed in an early-hours “you crazy bastards” blitz, ala Trump, or in the calm light of day, but it did summon his most infantile, insensate, intolerant, thin-skinned, conceited, vain, self-righteous, supercilious, mulish sensibilities. Thus were the entirely legitimate concerns of reasonable people about the more distasteful elements of the near-six-week pageant, including the travel bans on some officials and fans, direct political interference from Trump over the red card issued to America’s star player, Folarin Balogun, sympathetic refereeing of some matches, exaggerated ticket pricing, inflated travel and accommodation costs, the unnecessary imposition of drinks (ads) breaks in enclosed, air-conditioned stadiums, etc, dismissed with bitter condescension and hauteur. Infantino’s spiritual coupling with the President of the United States is indicative of his own character flaws and ethical orientation. That he would readily absorb many of the less appealing attributes of the world’s most powerful figure over the organising and delivery of the World Cup flows from this. In a 15-page Insta rant, Infantino covered a lot of ground, positioning Fifa as an instrument of unity and community, of love, joy and togetherness. In contrast, the critical voices in the media, Uefa and other institutions, are all peddlers of division, hate and falsehoods. He advised the myriad malcontents out there to “meditate, pray or watch a football match and truly observe the faces, the eyes, the emotions,” to cure their cynicism. He closed with a message informed by a view of the World Cup as somehow life-enhancing, the antidote to all our ills, war and misery, as if 90 minutes watching Argentina spreading peace and love about the precinct would persuade, dictators, oppressors, drugs barons, gang leaders and all round bad dudes to link arms across the world and do a global hokey-cokey. It is self-evidently an act of supreme organisational depth and substance to convene an event of this scale. Most of us would buckle pulling together a wedding reception. Fifa deserves credit for the near seamless execution of the tournament’s technical elements across three countries and 16 cities. The football was, as it always is, compelling. The inherent power of the spectacle, the goals, the poster boys, the unsung heroes, the connection, the emotion, the drama of it all, record crowds, global engagement, celebrity patronage, Beckham-mania, 40-year-old keepers, it all worked. From the media perspective – you know, that element that brings the stories, that projects the Fifa message across the world, that binds the whole into a coherent narrative, that permits the 24-7 processing, discussing, dissecting of the goals, saves, tackles, fouls, dribbles, all those iridescent moments – I’m prepared to overlook some of the more taxing elements of the job. Read more Kevin Garside: The World Cup final was a vulgar circus Daniel Storey: 101 things I learned by driving 7,835 miles across Trump’s America The incredible expense of crisscrossing a continent, the challenge of coordinating travel across such huge distances, the underwhelming internet provision at some stadiums, the three-hour queue in punishing heat to gain entry to the final. I’ll let that go, Mr President. Your refusal to acknowledge the clear and obvious points of contention raised by so many, not least the manipulation of political association, your interpretation of some events, your denials and distortions and perhaps worst of all your craven misappropriation of the innocent joy of fans to justify your actions, cannot go unremarked. Moreover, to claim that a football match makes any significant or lasting contribution to the good of humanity in a world where wars are simultaneously raging is frankly unconscionable. Meditate on that.