What's in the biography of the FIFA President?

The new biography of FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks a great deal about magic. However, it is the allure of power that Infantino is so attached to.

Photo: The Guardian .

Last April, the biography Forward - The Revolution of Football about FIFA President Gianni Infantino was published. The book was released just before a World Cup marred by controversy over ticket prices, seating, and transparency.

Statement by the FIFA President

According to The Guardian , Forward doesn't really resemble a book. Instead, it's more like a FIFA mission statement, a kind of document placed on a conference table or in a hotel room for delegates to review. Sometimes, the book looks like an excuse, an internal directive, and a voice speaking on behalf of someone trying to clarify their story.

The book was not written by the FIFA president himself, although it was published internally. Infantino called it "an anecdotal biography," compiled by someone named Alessandro Alciato.

"This is how the author sees the problem," Infantino writes in the preface to Forward . Meanwhile, the author's objectivity is questioned when Alciato compares his protagonist to both Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci.

The book promises to reveal details about Infantino's first 10 years at FIFA. Photo: Amazon .

The presentation of the content is considered quite strange, with the text arranged haphazardly. Meanwhile, in the introduction, Infantino talks extensively about the magic and mystique of the ball.

After that, there's nothing particularly noteworthy in the next 60 pages. There's only one interesting detail about Infantino's childhood: he traveled by train collecting scrap metal to sell to dealers.

The rest, essentially, is just a list of names, flattering the activities and political officials Infantino has met. For example, he went to Iran and single-handedly fought for women's rights. However, this seems to be illustrated by him crossing the field to a group of female spectators to take photos with them.

While there is a chapter promising to delve into how Infantino eradicated corruption from FIFA, this content is condensed into just four pages and hastily written. It mainly discusses his failure to break open former FIFA President Sepp Blatter's old safe and a section about Infantino's anger over the millions of dollars spent on the FIFA museum.

The true image of the FIFA President

Although lacking in depth, the book is filled with numerous photographs, mostly of Gianni Infantino in various poses. The cover features an iconic image of Gianni in a black suit and white shirt, with his arms outstretched in a gesture of healing, compassion, and love.

This is the image of a man giving a speech from the pier of a "galaxy full of hope for the future." He also has a giant photo with Cristiano Ronaldo at his peak to showcase his influence.

It seems there is no way for Infantino, in his capacity as FIFA President, to produce an honest book about what happened, as well as about his true influence and impact.

The best quote from the book Forward is: "Money used to be exchanged secretly. However, since 2016, it has been openly displayed for all to see." Essentially, the world operates that way. The book encourages nations to participate in sponsoring the world's biggest football tournament, to get close to American leaders to gain access to the world's largest market, and to avoid press conferences to prevent scrutiny.

Readers may be outraged by FIFA's ineffective policies under Infantino. But fundamentally, this poor image is all too familiar. When officials try to make their speeches eloquent and meaningful, they almost give up and fail to finish their own speeches. Everything is too empty.

Source: https://znews.vn/co-gi-trong-tieu-su-cua-chu-tich-fifa-post1655654.html