Column: A dull kick for millions

"Come in. Come in. You'll see the greatest attractions the world has to offer. It will be an unforgettable experience. You won't regret it. And you only have to pay half price. Yes, the big show is practically free." Gianni Infantino is the name of the market crier. His product is football. A sure-fire success, really. Sold-out stadiums are guaranteed, especially when it's a World Cup. But this time, in the United States, at the meeting of the supposedly world's best club teams, everything is different, despite ticket discounts.

There hasn't been a sold-out match yet, simply because no one can define the sporting value of this event. The shimmering golden trophy, which has already completed a small world tour as part of an advertising campaign, would of course enhance any club's display case, but that's really only a marginal concern. Once again, when the President of the International Football Association (FIFA) implements an idea, it's about money. A lot of money.

Erling Haaland is also competing in the Club World Cup. © APA / DAVID RAMOS

And that's the only reason 32 teams are participating. FC Bayern Munich, for example, receives a mere $27 million as a signing bonus. Munich's first opponent, Auckland City, receives $3 million. That's a lot of money for an amateur club. The New Zealanders, whose players had to request time off for this event, suffered a historic defeat right at the start. They lost 0-10 to FC Bayern. A result that also highlighted how bloated and unbalanced this tournament is.

Money from Saudi Arabia It's primarily a World Cup designed to make the rich even richer. The money for this comes from Saudi Arabia. The Saudis also provide media coverage. Last year, the streaming provider DAZN struck a deal with a Saudi Arabian sports investment fund. According to media reports, the deal was worth approximately one billion dollars. Almost exactly the amount Infantino received for the sale of the television rights, which no one had been interested in for a long time. From the Saudis. For DAZN.

Simone Inzaghi has been coaching the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal for a few days. © APA/afp / CHANDAN KHANNA

Incidentally, there's a rumor that there might be a connection with the fact that FIFA has already awarded the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the tournament of nations, to the Saudis. And just as a side note, so it's clear that ethics and morality are completely ignored in football: According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia has executed 2024 people by 198 (as of October). This is the highest number since 1990.

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said: "The Saudi authorities are carrying out a relentless wave of executions that demonstrates a shocking disregard for human life. At the same time, they are pursuing a campaign of empty words to burnish their image."

Football as a fringe sport For Saudi Arabia, football is a way to deceive the world. And the players participate mindlessly. They allow themselves to be harnessed for this nefarious purpose and bribed with money. They seemingly don't care where it comes from. The main thing is that the rubles keep rolling in, because, after all, new players have to be bought. And the transfer market explodes year after year. According to Uli Hoeneß, participation in the Club World Cup alone means that Munich won't make a loss this year.

This, of course, stifles any criticism that originally arose about excessive strain on the players, and so on. That's over. Now it's all about playing and collecting. That's it. The half-empty stadiums are accepted. In the USA, soccer, or "soccer" as it's called in the United States, is only a fringe sport. People discuss football, basketball, baseball, and until a few days ago, ice hockey, because the Stanley Cup Finals were being played. These are the sporting topics, alongside the daily Trump-related upheavals, that unsettle many in the USA, even staunch Republicans.

The Club World Cup in football follows the mechanism of many associations that have not yet understood that a product must also be limited in order to keep the desire for it alive. The results and analyses of the matches in this Club World Cup therefore merely fill a small part of the sporting summer lull, which we have naturally always been happy to fall into, since there are hardly any breaks to allow us to pause. The motto is therefore clear: We record the results so that we are ready when the league games begin again. Given the dramatic global situation, more attention is not necessary. There are more important things at the moment than a boring kick for dubious millions.

About the author: Sigi Heinrich The award-winning sports journalist (including the German Television Award, the Bavarian Sports Award, and a nominee for the prestigious Grimme Prize), a trained sports teacher, author, longtime sports editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and a commentator for Eurosport since 1989, devotes his weekly column to the full range of sports. He also enjoys exploring unfamiliar territory. Sometimes with a smile, sometimes thoughtfully, or even deliberately provocatively. There should be something for everyone.

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Column: A dull kick for millions

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