"I used to think Fifa's recent practice of holding the World Cup in autocracies was because it made it easier for world football's governing body to do the things it loved: spend untold billions of other people's money and siphon the profits without having to worry about boring little things like human rights or public opinion. Which, let's face it, really piss around with your bottom line. But for a while now, that view has seemed ridiculously naive,"
"So no: Fifa president Gianni Infantino hasn't spent recent tournaments cosying up to authoritarians because it made his life easier. He's done it to learn from the best. And his latest decree this week simply confirms Fifa is now a fully operational autocracy in the classic populace-rinsing style. Do just absorb yesterday's news that the cheapest ticket for next year's World Cup final in the US will cost 3,120 seven times more than the cheapest ticket for the last World Cup final in Qatar."
Fifa has shifted World Cups to authoritarian hosts and adopted autocratic practices that prioritize profit and control over fans' rights and public opinion. Leadership emulates authoritarian tactics, consolidating power and normalizing inflated costs, exemplified by a cheapest final ticket priced at 3,120 — seven times the cheapest Qatar final. Institutional actions have included branded World Cup Courts in South Africa 2010, where 56 courts expedited cases to appease the governing body and enabled summary justice partnerships. Marketing stunts were criminalized, as with Dutch women arrested after wearing orange minidresses for Bavaria beer, while faux fans are encouraged as spectacles.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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