The incorruptibles? They are no longer. Sunday evening, in New York, in the golden salons of the Trump Tower, football has changed. At the “Legends Event” organized by FIFA on the sidelines of the final of the World Cup, several former giants of the game posed, smiling, alongside Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump. Roberto Baggio, Alessandro del Piero, Kaká, Materazzi, Didier Deschamps… All gathered, for the photo, for the image. Who, for what? The scene went around the networks. And for many, she hurt.
Bradée elegance: the heroes of the past, pawns of the present
Because these figures, once respected for their integrity, agreed to become “VIP consultants” of FIFA, for a tournament. Compared to praise the new formula of the World Cup, they lent their faces to a geopolitical communication operation. A barely masked showcase for Infantino, obsessed with the American expansion of his power. And for Trump, more political recovery. Even the FIFPro union reacted, denouncing a “manipulation of icons for propaganda purposes”.
Where the rub is that these legends are not just anyone. Baggio was the melancholy of pure football. Kaká, the boy of faith and principles. Del Piero, elegance. Deschamps, the imperturbable French coach. All had been able to build a form of universal respect. But in New York, they seemed to trade everything against a selfie and some praise of tribune. Money? No doubt. Naivety? Maybe. Opportunism? More surely.
When our legends sell for FIFA
Infantino, Trump and the former football Iralls: the collusion that bothers
Football, more than any other sport, has been built on symbols. Figures that children around the world looked like models. Today, these models appear alongside controversial figures, and consider, consciously or not, logics that they would have once denounced. It is not a fault. It is a fracture.
To want to buy everything, FIFA ends up selling us the idea that everything can be bought. Even our heroes.
