UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions • Hacker News Board

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#271

Post by sailingparrot » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

tedggh wrote: post #142

Why is this out of the gate bad? Note that this is not taking FIFA to private equity, but creating an investors owned subsidiary to run events and commercial operations where the non profit arm will still own 80% of it. With the right protections it could help FIFA make more money and reinvest in the sport, particularly women’s football. FIFA currently makes 40% of what the NHL makes, not the NFL, not NBA. Soccer is…

You are comparing apple and oranges, it makes no sense.

> Soccer is by far the most popular sport on the planet, the fact that it makes a lot less money than hockey is insane.

Soccer makes much much more money than the NHL, it just doesn't all go to FIFA because the vast majority of matches are not organized by FIFA.

The premier league alone makes more than the NHL and that's just one of the european countries. La ligua, bundesliga also each make close to what the NHL makes with much smaller populations.

The fair comparison to FIFA is the IIHF. They make $35M for the hockey world championships vs 15B for the football world cup, you are slightly off, a rounding error.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#272

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

t0mpr1c3 wrote: post #221

hn_submit wrote: post #132

I find the UEFA standpoint a little disingenuous since commercial interests have been a top priority in football (soccer) for decades. Claiming that allowing investors to participate will hurt the sport are at the very least a misrepresentation of the current situation. Although I disagree with his methods and goals I enjoy watching the way Infantino uses power play to stack the cards in his favor. The only way for t…

Yes, it's a stretch to believe that UEFA is objecting strictly on a point of principle. UEFA seems to think people have forgotten that they tried to buy off top teams from the national organizations into a European super league. In effect they did it anyway with CL.

[deleted]

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#273

Post by dmarcos » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

nkg wrote: post #252

dmarcos wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How was it a shit show? I’m genuinely curious. I attended 5 games (Atlanta, LA and Dallas) and was a fantastic experience minus the process to get tickets.

First, it was a new formula of the tournament with more teams which explains the headlines about a someone setting a new record every 2 days. Second, the hydration (ads!) breaks were clearly used to tweak some tactics, player positionning, etc, making it another half-time. It's a strategic opportunity. Why not introduce a 2 min drill, then ? - yuck- That's not football. Third, I won't talk about that specific red car…

The 27 min half time was only in the final. Every world cup introduces changes that will stick or not (e.g golden goal rule). Hydration breaks probably won’t stay.

I’ve followed the sport all my life and referee complains I would say less than usual.

I like having more teams. Might even extend to 64 next time.

These are difference of opinion. Nothing singles out this world cup as a “shit show” as the OP. It was a great experience to me and pretty much anyone I encountered in the stadiums.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#274

Post by xxs » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

scrumper wrote: post #228

curun1r wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Iranian team’s treatment is a prime example. The Somalian ref being denied entrance is another. And the Balogun red card is a double example (it shouldn’t have been a red card in the first place, but the precedent that the President of the host country can get a call overturned is even worse).

I am the last person to defend FIFA - I love the UEFA's stance here - but only Balogun's suspension can be pinned on FIFA. Those other things are down to USA politics. Bad, for sure, not really down to FIFA. Other than those awful hydration breaks, they didn't ruin it much. I didn't love the extended half time in the final, but I was only hate watching Argentina anyway so didn't care much. Better to have the standard…

> proper "feast of football" as we used to say.

besides a significantly more common 4-3-3, I can't think of anything I particularly found entertaining - the waterworks, the extra VARs, the super special offside line. That's no feast. (and I can continue)

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#275

Post by TRiG_Ireland » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:03 PM UTC

drcongo wrote: post #225

dmarcos wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hydration breaks a tad weird. Half time shows were pretty subtle, didn’t change the length of the break except for the final. There’s no soccer competition without someone complaining about refereeing. Def always things to improve but I had fun, all people around me seemed to have fun. I flew in an out and always was either public transportation or uefa provided shuttles… It was really well run. Not something you can…

> There’s no soccer competition Ahhhh, you're American!

Here to give you the occasional reminder that Irish people (sauf a few weirdos in Dublin) also call the sport soccer.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#276

Post by irthomasthomas » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:04 PM UTC

masfuerte wrote: post #194

jimbokun wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the USA men might finally do well! Depending on whether the South American teams show up…

I like this map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_cup_winners.svg

Two world wars and one world cup...

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#277

Post by hnarn » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:04 PM UTC

Bridged7756 wrote: post #254

t0mpr1c3 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FIFA has been monstrously corrupt since at least as far back as the 1970s (Havelange). I backslid this year, but did completely boycott watching in 2018 and 2022. Russia is a pariah state and should never have been allowed to host, and Qatar was manifestly unsuitable. The only difference this year is that the bribery and political favors were out in the open.

Russia a pariah state, as opposed to the US. Good thing freedom won and the US was allowed to host.

What an excellent example of the most Russian thing of all: whataboutism.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#278

Post by TRiG_Ireland » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:05 PM UTC

vel0city wrote: post #243

paulbjensen wrote: post #22

It's only a matter of time before there are sponsors on the Yellow and Red cards...

In the local minor league hockey games near me the power play (the man advantage resulting from a penalty) is usually sponsored by an electric company. The announcers say things like "..and with that cross-check they're on a TXU Energy Power Play!"

Hawkeye in GAA games is sponsored by Specsavers.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#279

Post by dmarcos » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:05 PM UTC

chase_flick wrote: post #232

t0mpr1c3 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way that the Iran team was only allowed into the USA on match days was a disgrace. Refusing entry to a Somali referee on the spurious grounds of links to terrorism was a disgrace. The overturning of Falorin Balogun's ban was a disgrace. The ticket prices were a disgrace. The transport to the stadiums was a shambles. I could go on.

I attended games in Dallas and was shocked at how well the city / FIFA handled transportation. Especially for a city that usually has none.

Yes. I was there at the france-spain match. Flew in in the morning was directed to the shuttles by super nice volunteers. Reasonable lines that were mostly in the shade and they were handling free water bottles.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#280

Post by vehemenz » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 9:06 PM UTC

Bridged7756 wrote: post #261

triceratops wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of all the things wrong with the World Cup, the most inconsequential ones - hydration breaks and the final half-time show - have attracted the most griping.

Disrupting the pace of the game twice as many times, oftenly during critical moments is inconsequential to you? You don't sound like quite a sports person.

By this reasoning, are regular football fans really "sports people?" They tolerate wildly inconsistent officiating and diving (and other forms of unsportsmanlike conduct) that occur at every level of the game. Disrupting the pace would be the least of my worries.