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FIFA: What is Your Malfunction?
As my old club soccer coach famously yelled to me across the indoor pitch after I made my very first mistake with my new team, “Boy, what is your malfunction?”
Read the quote below and you’ll understand why I opened with that priceless soccer memory.
“An initial stage of 16 groups of three teams will precede a knockout stage for the remaining 32 when the change is made for the 2026 tournament.
The sport’s world governing body voted unanimously in favour of the change at a meeting in Zurich on Tuesday.”
–BBC Football Online
Shocking? No. Sad? Yes.
Most importantly: Will the World Cup evolve into a better tournament through this expansion effort in 2026? No.
As has been recently discussed in more depth on Jimmy’s Daily Planet back on December 28th (Participation Trophies…for Adults?), the competitiveness of the World Cup will suffer with this expansion. Additionally, FIFA, which is governed by the new president Gianni Infantino, has voluntarily prolonged the embarrassing era with its overarching reputation of bribery and corruption.
To Mr. Infantino and the soccer federations, however, perhaps the influx of money will (again) be enough to quell legitimate concerns of dedicated fans around the world of lessening the competitiveness and difficulty of simply qualifying for the golden opportunity of competing on soccer’s grandest stage.
The future of 48 teams in a World Cup is set to become reality. It’s happening (insert groans here). And those who will argue that this addition of a dozen teams will be superior to the current model with 32 teams were also likely arguing for the Microsoft Zune over the Apple iPod way back when…
On that note: Do you own a Zune? Just because something is new doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. There can be unforeseen (and very easily seen) malfunctions that occur with its users.
Lucky for me, my aforementioned malfunction was a solitary bad pass. FIFA’s malfunctions will have much more serious, enduring consequences.
Participation Trophies…for Adults?
Sports are about competition, which creates pressure. So, what exactly is the opposite of this construct? And is it worth watching/engaging in?
Ladies and gentlemen, soccer (or football) fans everywhere, we may be finding out the answer to this in the not-so-distant future…
“We would still consider to increase the competition to 40 or 48 teams. A tournament of 48 teams would have the same period of the current one, and federations are all clearly in favour of a World Cup with more teams.”
–FIFA president Gianni Infantino
The modern World Cup features the best 32 national teams as determined by the qualifying-by-region dynamic (North and Central America, Europe, South America, Africa, etc.). As a lifelong soccer fan, the thought of needing or wanting more national teams included in the World Cup has never entered my mind. Never. 32 is a good number. As a matter of fact, 32 is ideal. It’s one thing to ponder expansion if (the key word) adding more teams would improve the greatest tournament on the planet.
The addition of 8-16 national sides won’t make the World Cup better.
The consequence of this decision will dilute the accomplishment of the “original” 32 teams that had to work hard, deal with limited personnel for critical games, sort out inner-squad turmoil and a wide-range of challenges to earn the right to compete for a World Cup every four years with the best-of-the-best. Rich nations qualify and succeed and poor nations qualify and succeed. It’s truly a wonderful sport.
The quote above, courtesy of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, states that the federations are in favor of such an expansion of more national teams.
Duh. It means more money for them.
Wasn’t a focus on money (and the corruption that followed) at the heart of Sepp Blatter’s downfall, as well as being FIFA’s most publicly concerning characteristic? Soccer and world-class competition tragically took a backseat to the former for years and years and years.
More teams = More FIFA. Is this really the best equation for the future of the beautiful game?
If anything, FIFA’s overarching role should be subtracted.
RIP Craig Sager
A smile doesn’t go on for a mile…
it lasts a lifetime.
Craig Sager, the relentlessly positive NBA sideline reporter, has died at the age of 65. His toughness was iron strong, as he faced cancer and, incredibly, experienced that same cancer go into remission. Mr. Sager certainly had a memorable collection of high-profile interviews with basketball icons, but his legacy was built on something much more profound and meaningful.
His personality, decorated head-to-toe in spectacularly strange and overwhelmingly loud jackets and suits, was one defined by kindness. A rarity in this world, for sure. So many believe that we must be cool and removed, yet Mr. Sager is one example of how spreading happiness and trying to get people to smile (regardless of and because of their personal struggles and circumstances) is a gift that should be copied-and-pasted over and over…and over again.
One of the great misconceptions about people who appear happy all the time is that there isn’t a darkness or broken element in their life or that they don’t understand the grit of the world. In other words, that they aren’t “real.” Actually, it’s precisely the opposite. If you meet someone beyond the age of 10 who makes it their purpose to be happy, it usually means they have or are enduring deep struggles, but choose to be joyful and bright and bring out happiness in others.
Choosing to be happy instead of aloof and indifferent?
That sounds pretty damn real to me (in more ways than one).
Even just one smile can make all the difference…to somebody.
RIP Craig Sager.
Toledo’s Favorite Sons Go to Battle
“THE Game” is finally upon us.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will play That Team Up North at noon tomorrow in the chilly confines of The Horseshoe in Columbus, OH.
- #2 Ohio State vs. #3 That Team Up North
- Urban Meyer vs. Jim Harbaugh (both 52 years-old and both born in Toledo, OH)
- A spot in the college football playoff
- A (potential) spot in the Big Ten Championship Game
- Gold Pants
- Bragging Rights
- Statewide Pride
All of this will be on the line when these two football powerhouses collide. And this rivalry is not only the best in college football, but it’s the greatest rivalry in sports. Why? The Toledo War.
The Toledo War was a border dispute between the State of Ohio and the
Michigan TerritoryTerritory Up North during the first several decades of the nineteenth century.
–Ohio History Central online
Poetically, Toledo, OH remains divided between Buckeyes and Wolverines loyalties. There’s a sports store that’s literally divided in half for these two fan bases. The animosity and hatred between two neighboring states and universities didn’t begin because of an athletic competition, but from a conflict rooted in something much more profound. In the case of Ohio and That State Up North, the answer is a war.
That’s unrivaled in sports.
The Game of the Century: Volume 2 is at noon tomorrow on ABC.
GO BUCKS!
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