FreeFA

FIFA, the “World Football Governing Body”, whatever that means, is embroiled in a leadership/ corruption/ conniving/ backstabbing scandal threatening the “credibility of the organisation”!!!

The lemmings out there never stop to think about whether or not we even need a FIFA and why football ‘governance’ cannot be taken care of by the same market that gave you iPads, toothpaste, and microwaves.

Instead we have to guard our cherished football in a monopoly institution of corruption and greed run by a bunch of fat-cat Europeans.

The scandal has erupted over the alleged bribery in the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar.  Yes, that would be the same Qatar that most Americans don’t even know is a real country… in fact, is it even a real country??   I say alleged only to make a joke.  Of course it happened!  Unaccountable football monopoly + ruthlessly croniest FIFA officials with a proven astute eye for monopolistic profit + oil rich Arab state + huge prestigious event = bribes.

Here’s the greatest irony of all: for the media hullabaloo about this scandalous scandal, the reality is that if FIFA want to stage world cups in different countries and different countries in their Keynesian stupor want to host money sucking events such as this, why not put each world cup up for a bid.  The highest bidder wins.

I suspect then we would see rather more reluctant bidders and perhaps the true understanding of what a waste of money a world cup really is would be shown forth.  The auction price for the world cup would be set in a free and transparent way, countries would have add it to the cost of production, and then assess profits honestly.

Rich countries would typically host world cups, and poor countries wouldn’t have to be saddled, like South Africa was, with a loss making black hole public spending waste-a-thon.

FIFA might look corrupt, but only because the rules are stupid.  Keep the pay-for-tournament process in place, just re-define the term bribe as bid, make it transparent, and richest sucker pays…

Then once the demand side for world cups is sorted out, let the supply side operate freely.  Let anyone willing sell their unique world cup brand to potential host nations.  if this brand gains credibility host nations may actually pay for it.  These other world cup brands can be hosted with any frequency the supplier chooses, and countries’ football teams can decide if they wish to participate/qualify etc.

The market will see to it that the economically optimal amount of global football tournaments are staged.  The tournaments that get the buy-in from the big teams (Brazil, Spain, Holland, Germany etc) will be the most keenly tuned into by viewers and therefore the biggest money spinners.

Other tournaments trying to offer ‘world cup status’ simply would not be recognised if no big teams show up.  TV producers wouldn’t even want to waste money filming them.

The market wins again.  Free football, free the world cup, FreeFA…