Only a few things can tarnish a World Cup. Hope is one of them. Gruelling midweek hangovers, too. But nothing grates quite like the knowledge that FIFA will be utterly raking it in throughout.
How much does the controversial governing body stand to actually make in Russia? Well, after reviewing financial documents, The New York Times puts it down at a mammoth $6.1 billion.
That’s $1.3 billion more than with the 2014 World Cup and 10 per cent more than they projected, despite companies dropping out of deals due to FIFA’s bribery scandals.
So how have they reversed their fortunes? Simple: fleeing western sponsors have been replaced with Chinese companies. Seven of the 20 major 2018 World Cup sponsors are Chinese companies, as opposed to just one in the last tournament.
China’s President Xi Jinping has spearheaded the country’s involvement in football, making major investments in their sports sector in a bid to improve the fortunes of the national team. They've only competed in one World Cup – back in 2002 – and finished 31st out of 32 teams.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who replaced Sepp Blatter in 2015, was more than happy to rub the governing body's financial success in the faces of naysayers.
“While people were predicting bankruptcies of FIFA or other very dark visions, I think the vision is very bright based on figures coming from different parts of the world, including Asia,” he said.
Good for them. Good. For. Them.
