By Paul Nicholson in Mexico City
May 12 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s first act in his new job was to host a Legends match at his new office in Zurich. He seems to have liked the idea so much he has repurposed it for his first Congress as president, but this time bringing in the legends (a reported 200) to sprinkle stardust around Mexico City.
Variously spotted in groups around the city, the legends have been a hit on social media with visits to the National Museum of Anthropolgy and various other duties.
One of which was to celebrate the FIFA Confederations Cup at the High Performance Centre of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) just over a year before the Festival of Champions kicks off in Russia in 2017.
In 1999 Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca hosted the Confederation Cup final in front of 110,000 fans – a match Mexico won beating Brazil 4-3.
“The victory at the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup was a landmark achievement for Mexican football and one that inspired a whole generation of players,” explained FMF President Decio De Maria. “Russia 2017 will mark our seventh participation in the tournament and we certainly have high expectations.”
Russia’s edition of the Confederations Cup is now just 402 days away and according to FIFA Director of Competitions Colin Smith: “We are very satisfied with the current status of preparations for the FIFA Confederations Cup. Of course there is still plenty to do, but the LOC, the Host Cities and the Russian authorities have identified the priorities and are doing an excellent job. Fans, teams and media alike can expect a great tournament next year.”
Reports from Russia are that there have been some construction issues. Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that work on the “Samara stadium has come to a halt; this issue must be resolved.” Samara will not be hosting a Confederations Cup game and local authorities have said the stadium will still be completed by the end of 2017.
Meanwhile the legends, having completed their own commitments at the FMF High Perfomance Centre, moved on to the Estadio Azteca where they divided up and played in 9-a-side teams against Mexican legends.
President Infantino watched on, paternally, from the bench alongside Jose Mourinho.
It is Infantino’s frequently stated mission to bring football back to the heart of FIFA, but it is the serious business of FIFA that will take over again today and tomorrow as Confederations hold their meetings, including the election of a new president for CONCACAF, and in advance of the Congress on Friday, the first of the newly ‘reformed’ regime.
With the legends party now over (at least for the FIFA officials), the hangover will likely come when the bill arrives for the appearance fees and hospitality provision for the legends. Being a self-proclaimed ‘numbers man’, Infantino may find that 200 legends at say, $10,000 each, equals another appeal to the generosity of those financially bloated European federations.
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