OT: Why Doesn't UEFA Just Secede From FIFA?

Submitted by BornSinner on

I mean Sepp Blatter just got re-elected again... The only UEFA members that would oppose leaving FIFA would be some former Eastern Bloc countries and Russia. 

They don't make the money anyway in UEFA. The Russian Premier League is at best the 8th ranked league in Europe. Their top teams like CSKA, Spartak and Zenit rarely make it out of group stages/Rd of 16 in UCL.  

If powerhouses like Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, England and Holland just leave, what's FIFA going to do? Those countries are the main cashcows outside of Brazil, Argentina, Chile (eh) and Uruguay (kinda). They will also take most of western Europe with them, so countries like Belgium etc. I'm sure CONCACAF countries like Mexico and the US would follow suit too along with some AFC members like Japan, South Korea etc. 

What's holding them back? It can't just be "love of the game" or "world unity" crap. 

MGoBoard

Hill Street Blue

May 30th, 2015 at 9:38 PM ^

I don't know why I didn't put CONMEBOL in my post too.  The idea was that Europe and S. America account for all the World Cups.  Must have been laying the foundation for my "what are you drinking" post at the time, got CONCACAF in and whoooops.  

Sooo, the concept of a breakaway group with Europe and N & S America would be economically and competitively sustainable, that was the idea.

Joined: 01/12/2011

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Bryan

May 29th, 2015 at 10:47 PM ^

It's soccer.

Who actually gives a damn? People took money to put the World Cup in the desert in the summer (at the time). Slaves are essentially being used to build these facilities and if the U.S., England, France, Germany, Brazil actually cared these teams would boycott 2022 and would form their own games.

Now I have the itch to play some FIFA on PS4

Joined: 07/10/2009

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gwkrlghl

May 30th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^

I'm not a huge soccer fan but I love it when people say "Who cares?" to soccer

Statistically a good chunk of our country and every other country in the world does. So about 6.5 billion more people than those who care about football. Thats all

Joined: 04/13/2012

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baorao

May 29th, 2015 at 10:54 PM ^

and probably should. but like the power 5 seceding from the NCAA, you need a fully developed plan to walk away from the paydays already in place. because as much as everyone would applaud you for leaving on day 1, the clock would start ticking to announce something decent to replace the world cup you just gave up. and since there is already a Euro 2016 and champions League in place, it would be hard to come up with something new unless another federation jumped ship with you.

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baorao

May 29th, 2015 at 11:39 PM ^

(but highly unlikely) would be for UEFA to expand euro 2016 to something like 24 teams, with their traditional 16 UEFA qualified teams and handful of special invitations to major CONMEBOL and CONCACAF draws. then use that as your reset button for the new World (order) Cup. tremendously unlikely, especially with Europe getting a WC in 2018. perhaps if Qatar had been 2022 and Russia 2022 this might happen, but at this point I assume everyone is just waiting for Blatter to die, then blame him for everything and continue with a slightly less overt system of corruption by 2022. and if we're lucky Blatter kicks the bucket (or gets thrown out) around 2018 and a new boss with UEFA ties undoes this whole winter WC in Qatar

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DoubleYost

May 30th, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^

UEFA is just as corrupt as FIFA. Look at how they've treated fans from country's abroad on away trips during CL fixtures. Sickening. UFEA is feeling the heat because they're next on the chopping block. Platini is sweating. Can't wait til European and International football is cleansed of this scourge.

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2manylincs

May 30th, 2015 at 1:38 AM ^

Michel platini. Former france midfielder and head of uefa. He will probably be listed in the indictments when blatter gets served. The guy is as dirty as anyone else in fifa and the only reason that he challenges blatter is that he wants the throne for himself. His ego would probably love this plan. In the bigger scheme though, this is not whats good for football. it would be seen as the rich kid taking his ball and going home. Blatter survives by spreading the wealth (ill gotten as it may be) to the smaller, poorer federations. To buy the english fa would take billions, to buy sri lanka though? Pennies in comparison. The reform that fifa needs is to make a commitment to the smaller federations. not for the money federations to secede.

Joined: 04/27/2014

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BornSinner

May 30th, 2015 at 1:41 AM ^

Oh Platini... to think he was a great player for Juventus at one point... 

Even then, how much of the money really goes to the poor countries? The corrupt execs pocket a ridiculous amount of it. Prince Ali's campaign was based on keeping the small countries happy with transparency... obviously not many want that... 

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M-Dog

May 30th, 2015 at 7:22 AM ^

It's all about Brazil.  They are the swing vote in this drama.

The UEFA countries would love to leave FIFA and hold their own "World Cup".  The US with its large media/sponsorship market would go with them in a second.  Other countries like Japan would also go with them.  

At that point, it's all about Brazil.  If Brazil went too, and to a lesser extent Argentina, then it's goodbye FIFA and their version of the "World Cup".  You can't hold a World Cup without the likes of Germany, Italy, and Brazil.  

FIFA is only in charge of global football because a handful of key countries agree to let them keep doing it.  FIFA has no real power.  If merely a few key countries get pissed off and break away, they would instantly become the new FIFA.  

FIFA has already lost most of the UEFA countries, the US, and other countries like Japan.  If they lose Brazil, they're done.  It won't matter how much they have a multitude of developing countries under their thumb.

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turtleboy

May 30th, 2015 at 9:26 AM ^

They really should. Blatter just sponges off uefa, and controls everything by buying votes from tiny countries with no football program like the Cayman islands, Trinidad, and quatar. FIFA doesn't do anything for Uefa.

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BlueLikeJazz

May 30th, 2015 at 10:45 AM ^

that Gedeon Zelalem was officially cleared to play for the US and debuted today (last night) in the U20 world cup?


This is way more interesting news to me than anything about Sepp Blatter.

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DoubleYost

May 30th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^

FIFA has been trying to keep the US out of world football for years. From drawing us in the 'group of death' to black balling us from hosting the World Cup. They're content letting us meddle about with the MLS. I was over in UK during last World Cup and everyone was impressed with USMNT showing. They're sick of the way England fans of club and country are treated abroad at UEFA and FIFA tournaments by police. They hand out ridiculous banning orders and target supporters from countries like England, Scotland, Netherlands, and Germany. UEFA and FIFA is made for Southern European countries like Italy, Spain, and France, and Portugal where corruption is high just as high as the unemployment. MAFIFA,

Joined: 12/26/2014

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snarling wolverine

May 30th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^

Eh, we hosted the WC in 1994, so I don't know that we've been "blackballed" at all.  Repeat hosts have usually had to wait a long time.  (The one exception was Mexico in 1986, when they were an emergency replacement for Colombia.)

And there is a group of death every time.  We were in it in 2014 but not in other years.  2010 was pretty favorable.  The problem with the draw is that we're never highly-ranked enough to be a top seed, so we always draw one of the big boys and often another country about as good as us.  That's normal for a middle-weight country which we are at the moment.

As for English fans, they have a long, well-earned reputation for hooliganism which they are just now starting to shed.  

Up to now I wouldn't say that the U.S. has necessarily been poorly treated.  Now, whether the indictments will lead to a backlash that does blackball us from hosting in the future . . . that remains to be seen. 

 

 

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