“We don’t want competition between FIFA and UEFA”

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Dominique Blanc, Gianni Infantino is running for re-election as president at the FIFA Congress in Kigali on Thursday. Will the SFV vote for him?
Yes, because FIFA has developed positively under him thanks to many innovations, projects and reforms. However, communication must be made better and above all more proactive, also towards the affiliated associations. Sometimes we don’t know the strategies and goals either, or we only hear news from press conferences or conferences. Fifa could gain a lot from good and transparent communication.

What actually got better?
The increase in the number of matches for the youth teams, the support of individual associations during the corona pandemic with 1.5 million francs, the development of women’s football, which is important to the SFV, but also the technological development – the semi-automatic offside line, the chip in the ball or statistic information – moves forward, which makes the games more appealing to TV viewers. There were also institutional reforms.

Which are they?
It is no longer an executive committee that decides on the award of the World Cup, but the entire assembly, and FIFA too, has become more transparent, although there is still room for improvement. For example, we know the salary of the FIFA president. We didn’t know this before.

What is going less well?
There are tensions between FIFA and UEFA, which we don’t like because we are members of both associations. There should be no competition between the two, everyone has their role. A second point is the issue of human rights. While FIFA has made some progress in Qatar, we want them to keep working to the end to ensure that the workers who built the stadiums are paid and those who have been injured are compensated. We also expect FIFA to apply these principles of respect for human and labor rights in all its events in the future. This also corresponds to their own rules and statements.

Have the payments not been made?
We know that FIFA has set up a fund for this, but we also know that according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 35,000 workers in Qatar were only paid at the beginning of this year. We don’t know how many of them worked for the World Cup, but it can be assumed that some of them are. We want to make sure that this will happen. That is why we in Kigali also support an action by the Norwegian association on this subject.

During the quarrel between Fifa and UEFA you came up with the idea to hold the World Cup every two years…
Yes. This was rejected. This project can certainly be seen as an attack on UEFA and its European Championships, as well as the other continental tournaments. Each association has its place and its role. Even with the increased Club World Cup, we’re not quite sure what FIFA’s intentions are. The Champions League is extremely important for Europe and the development of football on our continent.

What needs to be improved in Fifa?
FIFA and the confederations must work together, not against each other. The development of women’s football must continue, because there is great potential there. The competitions for the junior teams must be further promoted.

48 instead of 32 teams will play at the 2026 World Cup. How do you feel about this?
I can understand Infantino’s vision to make football even more global. From this point of view, 48 teams is a good thing. You have to look at it positively, we also have better chances to qualify for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. I am aware that the football purists think otherwise, but in the end, even with 48 teams, the best will win and the best football will be offered.

Isn’t it just a money maker?
There are two aspects. Despite all the criticism, football is an incredible means of communication – be it regional, national or international. Sponsors and companies need ways to promote their products and services. And football offers an incredible tool for that. What you do with the money is another question.

Aren’t the players paid too much?
There is a market. It’s global, but right now the heart of football is still Europe, with England in particular in mind. That’s the market, you have to live with it and that won’t change anytime soon. But there is also another side. Each year, UEFA pays around 85 percent of its profits to associations and clubs to further develop football at all levels. At FIFA, a similar percentage goes back to football. And if the World Cup is expanded to 48 teams, I do not see the financial aspect in the first place, but that other countries, also smaller ones, now have the opportunity to participate in a World Cup. That is amazing.

How important are the final tournament bonuses to SFV finances?
For participation in the World Cup in Qatar, we raised almost ten million Swiss francs, plus a round of 16 bonus. However, the net profit was not very large because the costs were much higher than in previous finals. However, winning a final round is no longer part of our annual budget since last year. The money is used for individual projects in youth development, in women’s football or in refereeing.

Shortly before the start of the World Cup, FIFA banned the wearing of One Love’s captain’s armband, which caused displeasure. Has the subject been dealt with afterwards?
On the one hand, we are happy because Fifa has come up with the idea of ​​sending a message with the captain’s armband. This was an idea of ​​the Qatar Working Group, which eventually achieved its goal. On the other hand, we are also sad because FIFA put pressure on us just before the start of the World Cup, which was not very pleasant.

Granit Xhaka’s celebration with the Jashari shirt sparked discussions after the match against Serbia as it could be interpreted as a political gesture.
First of all, it must be said: everything our captain does or does not do is greatly exaggerated in the media. It is difficult to understand what goes on in the minds of our players with Kosovar roots, whose parents were victims of the war. But you have to understand. Even though we did everything we could in the run-up to the game against Serbia to make sure it was all about football, the tension was huge. Granit Xhaka explained his gesture after the match, adding nothing would have been necessary.

Voices from the Kosovo Albanian diaspora in Switzerland also said this was clearly a political gesture…
Look, we have 186 nationalities in the SFV. We have values ​​that are very important to us. But if we start commenting on gestures that could be politically intended, then this does not stop. FIFA launched an investigation, but did not see the whole matter as a political gesture and did not punish us or Granit.

In two weeks, the European Championship qualifier against Belarus will start in Serbia. Did the SFV oppose the location?
We have spoken to UEFA several times. But Belarus has the right to decide where to play its home matches, as Belarus has been banned from playing for a year for security reasons. From the UEFA point of view, there is no increased risk when we play in Serbia, especially since the match is closed to the public.

Are there increased security measures?
Our security guards and team managers were in Novi Sad twice and explored the whole thing with the Serbian federation, which organizes the match together with UEFA. As with every national team game, we have a clear safety concept for this game as well.

Shouldn’t Belarus be excluded from Russia as a junior partner?
Russia was boycotted for violating UEFA and FIFA statutes by attacking Ukraine. It is a legal decision that the SFV made in February 2022 for UEFA and FIFA. The decision was also confirmed by the CAS in Lausanne. But in Belarus this is not the case.

It is a politically charged group as they also play against Kosovo and Israel. Does this duel give you a stomach ache?
For me, the matches against Kosovo are two duels between friends. We have a large Kosovan community in our country. It is very well integrated and we have several national team players with Kosovar roots. We have good and close relations with Kosovo at all levels. That is why the two races are also a celebration for me, despite their sporting importance. The competition in October in Israel is a competition like any other for us.

Source : Blick