FIFA says it's changed, then signs deal with company employing Sepp Blatter's nephew
FIFA is entering a new era. Sepp Blatter is gone, banned for years, and new President Gianni Infantino has promised major changes to the world governing body's operations. The people who run it are going to put the corruption that will forever be tied to the Blatter era in their rearview mirror and change the way they act, as well as the way people view them.
Only they have already stumbled.
The organization has announced that Wanda Group is a new FIFA Partner, which makes the Chinese conglomerate one of the new major sponsors for world soccer. This lucrative deal, which runs through the 2030 World Cup, will see Wanda Group present at all major FIFA events.
Normally, this wouldn't raise any alarms. After all, FIFA signs new partners all the time and works with companies from all over the world. But Wanda Group is a little different, and the timing isn't great.
The firm's Wanda Sports Holding subsidiary is run by Blatter's nephew, Philippe Blatter, who was at FIFA headquarters to finalize the deal on Friday.
Maybe it's just a coincidence that Philippe Blatter is involved with the deal and there is nothing wrong here. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing. But why would FIFA even bother walking into these muddy waters? And why would Infantino allow this to be the very first commercial sponsorship deal he's signed as FIFA president?
If FIFA wants to change the way people perceive it, this is the worst way to do it. And if that weren't bad enough, the organization showed a shocking lack of self-awareness by including the news in a release titled "FIFA Executive Committee approves key priorities to restore trust in FIFA."
Despite a year of scandal and turmoil, not a single FIFA sponsor ended its affiliation with the organization. McDonald's, Coca-Cola and the rest all demanded that FIFA make changes, but they kept cutting checks to Blatter and Co. That's because there is only one FIFA and one World Cup. Companies want to be involved with FIFA so much that they will put up with a spectacular amount, and corporations are lining up to become FIFA partners.
Yet, despite it all, FIFA chose to partner with Wanda Group. FIFA made the conscious choice to associate itself with the Blatter family only weeks after electing a new president who promised a significant departure from the Blatter regime. It could have picked almost any other company. But it picked Wanda Group. It opted to do a deal with Philippe Blatter. And it released the news under the guise of "key priorities to restore trust in FIFA."
Welp.
