When CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb addressed his constituent federations for the first time at the confederation’s annual congress in the Bahamas last week, his speech was all about business, reflection on their progress to date, and setting goals for the next four year cycle. It was about setting the agenda and outlining the challenges. Three hours later, having been elected unopposed for a second term as president, he gave quite a different speech.
Speaking unscripted, Webb gave his federations sight of the real Jeffrey Webb, his motivations and expectations. This was a leadership speech that was delivered from the heart, delivered with passion and received with enthusiasm.
Webb is all about empowerment and inclusion – the opposite of his predecessors. But there is an uncompromising edge to what he sees as the challenges that have to be met. Challenges he expects “this generation”, as he referred to his CONCACAF colleagues, “will meet and exceed”.
It was the simple spelling out of what needed to happen in football in the region and worldwide that really caught attention – a hard focus on the priorities that stripped away the surrounding ‘noise’ that too frequently confuses the objective.
Webb will no longer accept his federations as second class citizens on the global football stage. The perception that these are the guys, mainly from the Caribbean, whose core contribution to football is to get a FIFA president elected, was ended at this congress. Webb sent a message to his federations and the wider football world that they have arrived at the world football party and that they will be taking their seats at the top tables.
Webb said: “We are on an incredible trajectory to continue to advance the game in our region, to develop, to grow, to show the world that we can play; to show the world we can win and affect change.”
The key words to note here are “to show the world”.
“The challenges that exist in FIFA, and I must say that I attended a conference a few weeks ago in the beautiful city of Vienna – the UEFA Congress – where President Platini threw out a challenge to myself, President Napout, President Salman, to work together, to FIFA to be inclusive, to meet the challenges of global football on a global level.
“Mr. Platini I reciprocate back to you. We will do what you call a one-two in the game. The game and the challenges that exist at a global level and the threats that exist are far reaching different and complex.
“Some of the challenges from our perspective must be addressed,” said Webb.
It is these different “challenges” and his different “perspective” that is important to understand because they are not bland statements that will be pushed aside and forgotten in football’s onward rush.
Webb was clear in that FIFA needs to be “reset”. He was also clear that this needs to come from within football. And there were words of caution for those in the election dogfight.
“I welcome the challengers for the highest office in world football, incredible courage, and incredible leadership commitment, life changing and defining commitment to serve as the FIFA President,” he said.
“To Mr. Michael Van Praag, Luis Figo, Price Ali, President Joseph Sepp Blatter regardless on May 29 or May 30, let us all agree, regardless of the outcome, let us ensure the game is the winner.
“The game is bigger than any single one of us. Let’s meet these challenges. Let’s make the bold steps, let’s reset the game of football. Let us reset FIFA.”
For Webb a big part of that re-setting is the changing of the balance of world power. To make sure that new world voices are heard, respected and acted upon equally.
“108 years ago FIFA was created in Paris, France, a far journey from 108 years ago to what the realities are and what the landscape is today for world football,” said Webb.
“Let’s rebalance. An injustice in Africa can’t be good for CONCACAF, one in Asia can’t be good for CONCACAF. These can’t be good for CONCACAF and bad for everywhere else in the world.
“I thank the President and I agree with him 100 percent, on the allocation of slots and representation from the World Cup (Blatter said CONCACAF should have four automatic starting places). Every other world championship from FIFA they have gotten it right, with proportional representation. They have it right. U20 World Cup, U17, Women’s, but for some reason for the men’s World Cup sports politics takes over and we have it wrong
“Let’s correct that wrong.
“This generation will not stand by and be voiceless. You didn’t elect me to stand in a corner and not speak. And not represent only the wishes and what’s best for CONCACAF but what’s best for the game.
“It’s the game that is so important. And when something is great and good for the game, it must be great and good for CONCACAF, for Asia, for Africa, for Europe. It must be good.”
This was powerful stuff and he meant it. It was a personal commitment from Webb that was not lost on his audience. But it was also a challenge to the individuals outside his confederation and a warning to those who don’t take notice. Change is going to happen in Webb’s world. You would be a fool to bet against it (perhaps a bad analogy as he did say “match manipulation is the single biggest threat to our game, we must be strong we must weed it out”).
A principal task of Webb at FIFA is his chairing of the anti-discrimination task force. Again the message is loud and clear, and I suspect is intended to go beyond just the problems on the playing side of the game.
“Racism in our stadiums has no place. The actions of yesterday help shape us today and tomorrow. The racism against my father and my family helped shaped me to be who I am today,” said Webb.
“I have taken on the task that President Blatter has given me with a great commitment and passion. I understand the scorn, I understand how players feel in a stadium because of the colour of their skin, not because of their skill or the goals or the way they celebrate the beautiful game.
“Let us meet those challenges, let’s also look at the imbalance that exists in the global football arena, the imbalance of representation on the FIFA Executive Committee.” Yes, let’s – root and branch.
There is a lot more to Webb than the fight against discrimination – even if that could be the most profoundly changing and shaping effect FIFA will experience over the next few years.
Football is about to elect a new world leader. In reality it needs to propagate a whole ‘working’ class of them to enable FIFA to evolve effectively across the many and diverse challenges it faces. And the reality is it will be evolution rather than revolution.
In the Caribbean last week the world just found one of those leaders in an unscripted speech that could end up becoming a small but important piece of football history.
Paul Nicholson is editor of Insideworldfootball. Contact him at moc.l1734853931labto1734853931ofdlr1734853931owedi1734853931sni@n1734853931osloh1734853931cin.l1734853931uap1734853931