For the good of the game,” is Fifa’s slogan. But the global football authority’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams in 2026 is bad for the game. In fact, it is a perfect example of Fifa’s interest clashing with that of neutral fans. Fifa will make more money and Gianni Infantino, its president, can expect grateful Asian and African federations to re-elect him in 2019. But even most Asian and African fans will suffer as football’s premier tournament slides into tedious mediocrity as a result of this decision.
“为了足球运动会更好”是国际足联(Fifa)的口号，但这个manbetx app苹果 足球主管机构做出的从2026年起将世界杯参赛球队数量扩大至48支的决定却对足球比赛不利。实际上，这是国际足联利益与中立球迷利益发生冲突的典型例子。国际足联将会赚更多的钱，而该机构主席詹尼•因凡蒂诺(Gianni Infantino)可以期望感恩戴德的亚洲和非洲足联在2019年投票支持他连任。但即便是亚洲和非洲的广大球迷也将会倍感失望，精彩的足球盛事因为这个决定而沦落为平庸球队之间单调乏味的比赛。